Ashfak Mohamed
PERFORM, or else “tough decisions” will be made. That was the strong message from new Western Province director of rugby Gert Smal to the Stormers coaches and players yesterday.
Head coach Allister Coetzee and his assistants Matthew Proudfoot and Robbie Fleck are under enormous pressure to hold on to their posts following the Stormers’ worst start to a season ever. The Cape side have lost five out of six matches, and their only victory was a single-point success over the Hurricanes, and they are bottom of the log.
The Stormers also missed out on a playoffs spot last year, finishing in seventh position.
Four of their defeats came on the overseas tour against the Crusaders, Chiefs, Brumbies and Reds. But last week’s 22-11 loss to the Waratahs at Newlands was a bitter pill to swallow, as the Stormers can ill-afford to lose at home if they still want to sneak into the playoffs.
While Smal did not say whether Coetzee and his fellow coaches would be fired – that is unlikely, as all three are contracted until the end of 2015, and WP Rugby would have to make payouts of a few million rand if they had to dismiss the trio – president Thelo Wakefield said recently that additions could be made to the coaching staff if Smal felt that it is necessary.
Coetzee could also be relieved of his duties as Currie Cup coach to ease his workload.
But the focus is squarely on the Stormers. The players are on a bye this week ahead of the Easter Saturday clash against the Lions at Newlands. Their season will be effectively over if they lose another home match.
Asked if he was concerned about certain playing positions in the Stormers squad and whether he was intending to make a few new signings, Smal told the Cape Times yesterday: “I think it’s a bit too early to say. I first want to sit down with individuals and see what they experienced.
“I think it would be unfair to say now that I’m going to bring in other players and other coaches if I don’t give these guys the understanding that they have a responsibility first, and see that they perform and get certain things in place.
“If they can’t do that, then we will have to look at it and make some tough decisions.”
Smal had meetings with Coetzee and the rest of the management this week, and said injuries had played a big role in the team’s performances.
“I know what they are struggling with. It’s always tough, in my days as well, if you sit with a lot of injuries. I remember that in my first two years, we lost eight players at the beginning of Super Rugby, and in the second year, it was the opposite – a lot of injuries in the latter part of the season,” the former Springbok flank said.
“There’s a lot of dynamics that go with it. It’s one thing to say there are youngsters coming through, but the culture changes in a certain way – you sit there with a lot of inexperienced players, but they must also show what they can bring to Super Rugby. It’s about giving them healthy pressure and seeing whether they can handle this kind of level, and then go from there.
“I won’t make a decision now (on the Currie Cup job), so we will go through the next couple of weeks and see where they sit. Two weeks are not enough, because the players are also on a break now.”
Coetzee said after the Waratahs game that five players will return from injury for the Lions match – captain Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger, Scarra Ntubeni, Tiaan Liebenberg and Pat Cilliers.