Christchurch - In calling for a 10 out of 10 performance, Springbok coach Allister Coetzee basically told everyone and anyone who was listening how he plans to go about beating the All Blacks at AMI Stadium on Saturday.
Coetzee, under pressure to deliver a good performance after losing to the Wallabies and Argentina in the last month, laid out his plan, stating “we’ve got to come out with a 10 out of 10 performance. Hopefully we put the whole package together this weekend”.
The Bok boss said his side needed to start well, dominate the set-pieces and finish strongly with a bench that he hopes will make a massive impact.
“First things first when it comes to Test rugby ... you've got to first win your set piece. Then it comes down to a territorial battle, because you can’t score 70m tries in Test rugby, and you’ve got to make sure you play the percentages, that is the right areas of the field,” said Coetzee yesterday.
“Then, it’s about decision making ... if it’s on it’s on, and you have a full go, but you’ve still got to respect the conditions, that’s number one. Secondly, you must capitalise on your opportunities; when you get the penalty you must nail it, get the three points, and build scoreboard pressure.”
That’ll be the job of the 15 starters, and then - later on - Coetzee will no doubt hope his bench, which he has split using six forwards and two backs, delivers a knockout punch.
“You also need to know when to conserve energy to be there (in with a chance) right at the end. If you don’t have that you’ll be sluggish, and you’ll be punished. But, that’s why I’ve gone with a six-two bench ... it gives us an opportunity to stay in the game in the second half, and even win it,” said Coetzee.
“Unfortunately we didn’t win it (last weekend against Australia) but the impact has been enormous for us from the bench.”
Coetzee has faced the All Blacks as a member of the Bok management team before - when he was assistant coach to Jake White between 2004 and 2007 - said he had drawn on those experiences to prepare for Saturday’s Test.
“Whenever the Boks and All Blacks meet the rugby world stops and watches, for us this is the test to see how much progress we’ve made (this year). Of course, I’ve drawn on those experiences coming here with the Boks, but also with the Stormers. We’ve spoken about those times and realise the only way to get on top is to cut out the soft moments ... we’ve come close here before and lost by just falling short .... and again that’s why I say we need a 10 out of 10 performance.”
@jacq_west
The Star