Rugby: De Villiers wins union backing to stay as Springboks coach

Peter de Villiers will remain as South Africa coach until at least the end of the next year's World Cup, after a meeting with his employers in Johannesburg.

The under-fire Springboks boss had faced mounting criticism in the wake of a mediocre 2010 campaign in which the world champions lost five out of ten Test matches.

All those defeats came in the recently concluded Tri Nations where the team, who were defending their title, turned in their worst display in the competition's 15-year history.

"It was a frank meeting but a positive one," James Stoffberg, chairman of SARU's rugby committee and vice-president of the union said.

"The results are of paramount importance and everyone in the room was committed to providing the team with the best conditions in which to succeed."