Hieneke Meyer to join Morne Steyn at Stade Francais

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Johannesburg - Former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyerremained silent Monday amid South African and French reports that he will become director of rugby at French Top 14 strugglers Stade Francais.

He has refused to comment to AFP on reports that he will take charge of the Paris outfit for the 2018/2019 season and sign a three-year contract as successor to New Zealander Greg Cooper.

Former All Blacks fullback Cooper quit Stade two months ago to be with his ill daughter in New Zealand.

Stade lie 12th in the French Top 14 table with five rounds remaining having won just seven of 21 matches, and are just two points above relegation-threatened Oyonnax.

Their squad includes four former Springboks, flyhalf Morne Steyn, props Heinke van der Merwe and Gurthro Steenkamp and loose forward Willem Alberts.

Meyer, 50, has not coached since resigning after taking South Africa to third place at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.

He was in charge for 48 Tests, winning 32, losing 14 including a stunning World Cup defeat by Japan, and drawing two.

Earlier, he transformed the Pretoria-based Bulls into the dominant southern hemisphere franchise force, winning the Super Rugby title three times in four seasons.

He also coached English Premiership club Leicester Tigers for one season.

Meyer had been expected to sign a four-year extension to his contract as Springboks coach after the World Cup, but pulled out following talks with officials.

A sticking point might have been the racial transformation of the team with Meyer facing constant public and media criticism for choosing predominantly white sides.

SA Rugby and the government have agreed that half the Springboks team at the 2019 World Cup in Japan must be black.

SB

The above heading is a mess,   First of all Morne is leaving Stade at the end of this season - he is going to Brive.   The latter club was looking for a flyhalf and ended up with signng a kicking donkey -  one must be sympathetic  in this case.

Stade went belly-up last year and was then sold to a German entrepreneur rewarding the chap with being in danger of being demoted after the end of this season.   Just looking at the SA player Meyer would be happy to see the duds he chose to play  for the Springboks being there striving mightily to get Stade downgraded.

The article is wrong about Meyer not coaching since 2015.   In the last season Meyer was coaching Asia Pacific Dragons in Japan.

Best of luck to Stade - they will desperately need that with Meyer a nd his duds around.          

and we thought that we are thinking of improving backline play.   My suggestion is to appoint Matfield a backline and attack coach,   With all the experience Matfield  had in his playing days in standing around in the backline obstructing the work of the centers he should have ample experience to meet the needs for a  proper backline and attack coach    Then there is always the chance to bring back Meyer - he would go back to the over-thirties and other duds because he knew what he could expect from them 15 years ago,

I suspected this was official because Meyer refused to comment on it. 

Morne Steyn is delighted. Although has he forgiven Meyer for dropping him due to public protests with Meyers insistence on Morne being in the team.