De Villiers expected the chop after Japan loss

“I don’t want to knock other players, but if everyone had the mental attitude and the desire to play for South Africa that Duane has, we probably wouldn’t lose any games”, said Meyer.

“We know the boys love to play attacking rugby and we’ve spoken about it, “When the opportunity is there, play”.

However, as a South African I reserve the right to comment on his woeful lack of leadership of our national team and how inappropriate it is that he should be representing our country on the World Cup stage. We have a responsibility.

Pool B is due back in action on Saturday when South Africa take on the Samoans in a game of surprising significance. “Come Saturday, we need to put all that behind us and do what we have done for the last 10 years”. It’s a big game for us against Samoa and as a team we need to perform well. We got ourselves in this position and now we have to get ourselves out of it’.

No-one in green and gold escaped criticism following that barely-believable Japan loss – not even de Villiers himself.

After their match against Samoa, the Springboks will face Scotland at St James’s Park in Newcastle on Saturday, 3 October. “I expect a battle until the last minute”.

“I thought about it long and hard and came to the conclusion that this is a must-win game and who are you going to back?”

Betway go 5/2 on a Springbok try being the first points on the board, and with the 2007 champions looking to make a statement, I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens.

“It’s not been an easy week”.

“We’ve always expected South Africa to be our toughest opponent here and that hasn’t changed one bit”.

Of those coming into the Meyer’s line-up, perhaps the biggest burden lies on the shoulders of 21-year-old fly-half Handre Pollard.

Stanley, who plays for Irish side Ulster, stands to win only his eighth test cap, and will take the kicking duties. I can’t remember his name.

Fikile Mbalula, South Africa’s sports minister, has warned that they will be branded “a bunch of losers” should the Boks fail to improve on last weekend’s display on the south coast.

Philosopher Charles Villet, who has written about rugby as an attempt by Afrikaners to insulate themselves from post-apartheid South Africa, says, although the racial composition of the team has remained nearly the same since Pieter de Villiers’s coaching days, there is definitely a greater component of Afrikaner players. “I have got all the confidence in the world that he can do that job”.

Having beaten the United States 25-16 in their pool opener on Sunday, the Samoans have a great chance to push for a quarterfinal spot if they beat the Springboks.