The Springboks have gone backwards under the reign of Peter de Villiers.

In the latest IRB World Rankings released after Australia beat South Africa at Bloemfontein, the Springboks have slipped back to third place.

When Peter de Villiers took charge in January 2008, the Boks were in first place with 90.81 points. They now occupy their lowest ranking since de Villiers took charge.

The All Blacks have opened a gap of 8.25 ranking points over their nearest rivals Australia, a gap that will be hard to close in the near future.

Top 20 IRB world rankings:

1. New Zealand 94.29

2. Australia 86.04

3. South Africa 85.22

4. France 82.75

5. Ireland 82.03

6. England 81.82

7. Scotland 79.81

8. Argentina 79.70

9. Wales 78.58

10. Fiji 74.39

11. Italy 72.97

12. Samoa 72.74

13. Japan 72.49

14. Canada 69.43

15. USA 67.86

16. Tonga 67.06

17. Georgia 66.38

18. Russia 65.80

19. Romania 65.10

20. Namibia 62.69

Whilst many are calling for patience and no knee jerk reactions to the Boks dismal Tri-Nations performances, the fact remains that the Boks are moving backwards under de Villiers.

With the talent at his disposal the Boks have under-performed. Anything less than a win in the Tri-Nations should be considered a failure.

The All Blacks have a winning ratio around 85% since 2008, whilst the Boks for all their domination in 2009 only have a winning ration of 63% in that time.

Considering the bulk of the side are 2007 Rugby World Cup Champions, and almost half the squad are Super 14 Champions, it represents underachievement from the Boks.

How are these players able to perform so well in their provincial colours, yet look so disjointed for the Boks?

With speculation that Jake White wants his Springbok coaching job back, it is interesting to note that White only had a winning ration of 67%. Not that much better than de Villiers.

I don’t care who coaches the Boks. Just get us back to the number 1 ranking, and get that winning ratio above 80%!