Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says he took the media for a ride al die tyd.
Known for his colourful press conferences during his stint at the helm of the national team from 2008 to 2011, De Villiers says the joke was on those writing about him.
In a video launched recently in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, De Villiers said: “A rugby writer goes to university to become a writer, so whatever he writes, it’s his opinion… I couldn’t find one who played first-team rugby for his school.”
In an interview with RSG over the weekend, he adds: “Back then I said: ‘We’ll pull a rat out of the hat’.
“With ‘rats’ I referred to them, the rugby writers.
“If they then think I’m stupid then so be it. I played them and I had them just where I wanted them. I used my poetic freedom to say things the way I wanted to.”