One of the candidates, Allister Coetzee, asked that the interviews be postponed as he was part of the coaching staff with the Springboks on their short tour of England and Wales.

The other names on the four-man shortlist are Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer, national Under-21 coach Peter de Villiers, and former Cats and Pumas coach Chester Williams.

The interviews were supposed to take place on Monday and Tuesday, but will now commence in early January.

"The committee appointed by the president's council to manage the appointment of the national-team coach has rescheduled the final interviews with the four shortlisted candidates," a statement from the national body read.

"The interviews will now take place on 7 and 8 January 2008, after which the committee will forward the name of the preferred candidate to the president's council.

"The president's council will convene a meeting on 9 January 2008 in Cape Town to appoint the national-team coach."