'Boks furious with Dowd's 'puppet' jibe.

SOUTH African officials have reacted angrily to Craig Dowd's description of Springbok coach Pieter De Villiers as a "puppet".

In a radio interview earlier this week, former New Zealand prop Dowd suggested De Villiers, the first non-white Springboks coach, was merely a figurehead and questioned if he knew anything about rugby.

"While the Springboks have some good staff, De Villiers is merely a puppet," Dowd said.

His comments have sparked outcry in South Africa with the South African Rugby Union (SARU) demanding an apology from Dowd.

SARU chairman Mpumelelo Tshume said: "Mr Dowd's comments are not only deeply and personally offensive to Peter de Villiers and SARU but also comically ill-informed on the affairs of South African rugby. We trust he will show better judgement in having the good grace to apologise to Peter de Villiers and to the South African rugby community for the profound offence and hurt he has caused."

But it was clear South Africa's management did not wish the issue to be pursued further during the build-up to tomorrow's Test in Dunedin after a week in which the All Blacks and Springboks have fired accusations of illegal play at each other following the first Tri-Nations clash in Wellington last weekend.