Springbok coach set to 'step down'
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) -- Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli is set to step down after discussions with South African rugby officials, local media reported on Wednesday.
Calls for Straeuli's resignation have increased in recent weeks after a series of crises over alleged racism, army-style training and the Springboks' quarterfinal exit at the World Cup.
The Cape Times newspaper on Wednesday quoted an unnamed senior rugby official as saying: "Negotiations have begun between SA Rugby and Rudolf for him to step down."
Officials at SA Rugby, the sport's professional arm in South Africa, were not available for comment.
Straeuli will present a World Cup report to the board on Thursday with details of the controversial 'Kamp Staaldraad' or 'Camp Barbed Wire'.
Photographs of the pre-World Cup camp showed players training in the nude and reports said they had been forced into pits in the ground and doused with icy water as the English national anthem was played.
Union president Silas Nkanunu, board members and even SA Rugby managing director Rian Oberholzer could also find their jobs on the line during two days of top level meetings this week.
On Friday, the South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) hold their annual general meeting with elections for president, deputy and vice president, all of whom automatically sit on the SA Rugby Board.
SARFU President Silas Nkanunu, who is vice-chairman of the International Rugby Board (IRB), is facing a challenge from Brian van Rooyen, who unsuccessfully took on former boss Louis Luyt in the late 1990s.
Van Rooyen is regarded as the favorite after receiving the public support of seven of the 14 unions that make up the SARFU.
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