Springbok fans rage at ‘mad scientist’ coach and ‘most horrible rugby match ever’

“To save yourself grief, you should read everything when you win and as little as possible when you lose.”

So reckoned Sven Goran Eriksson during his time as England football manager.

That said, it’s never easy to avoid hostile feedback.

Read more:The reasons Wales just pulled off heroic victory in South Africa as incredible attitude sees them through

“Players and coaches always get to hear if something bad is written about them,” the ex-Wales coach and centre Nigel Davies once said to this writer.

“If it’s a comment in an east Wales newspaper, a player for a west Wales club will find out about it and vice-versa, because it will be passed on by others in Wales training or whatever.”

That was before the advent of the internet.

Now those in the public eye also have a torrent of below-the-line comments on websites and remarks on social media to contend with, sometimes anonymous and occasionally savage in their criticism.

Wayne Pivac will understand.

After Wales lost to Italy in the Six Nations, the head coach and his players were torn apart in the mainstream media and on social media.

But this weekend it was someone else on the receiving end.

Pivac’s Springboks counterpart Jacques Nienaber received flak from Pretoria to Port Elizabeth and all points east and west in South Africa after his side’s 13-12 defeat by Wales in Bloemfontein. You can read more about the unseen moments in the second Test here.

Some contributing their thoughts on the Rugby 365 website were particularly unhappy with the way proceedings had panned out after the Boks, showing 14 changes from the first Test, saw their proud unbeaten record against Wales in South Africa disappear.

One poster, styling himself or herself as DJB, wrote: “What a bunch of tri