Former South Africa captain Corne Krige has predicted "seven lean years" ahead for the Springboks after the appointment of Peter de Villiers as national team coach.

Krige, writing in his column in the Afrikaans paper Sondag, lambasted the South African Rugby Union for the choice of De Villiers over Super 14-winning coach Heyneke Meyer.

The former Stormers, Northampton and Springbok flanker wrote: "I was in a meeting Wednesday and I saw a message on my phone from a good friend telling me about the appointment. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.

"For me there was only one logical choice to succeed Jake White as Springbok coach and that was Heyneke Meyer.

"Let me put it this way: coach A and coach B are up for a position. Coach A has won internationally at under-21 level, but has no Currie Cup or Super 14 experience. He currently is helping out at Stellenbosch University.

"Coach B has three Currie Cup titles and a Super 14 title. Above this, 70 per cent of the players in the country want him as coach. If you need to make a rugby decision, then it is logical that coach B is the answer.

"But if you need to make a political choice, then coach A is the answer.

"Coach A is Peter De Villiers and B Heyneke Meyer - this is precisely what happened this week."

London Irish are one win away from a first quarter-final appearance in the European Cup after Richard Thorpe scored a hat-trick of tries to kill off Dragons' comeback on Saturday, winning 41-24 in Pool One.

This pool is tightly balanced with Irish leading Perpignan - who hammered Treviso 55-13 - by a single point going into the penultimate round of games. The only way they could make certain of a quarter-final appearance was to claim bonus-point victories against both the Dragons and against Treviso next Saturday.