Cape Town - This could be his last week in the job, but under-fire Springbok coach Allister Coetzee says he signed a four-year contract in April, and “whatever happens, happens” with regards to his future.
Coetzee fronted the media in Cardiff on Monday in the aftermath of Saturday’s humiliating 20-18 defeat to Italy in Florence, and cut a determined figure despite a torrent of criticism from the public on social media and the South African press, with several calling for him to resign or be fired due to a record of seven defeats in 11 Tests this year.
The Wales Online website reported on Monday that Coetzee spoke about the Boks having had just “four good years” since the 1995 Rugby World Cup triumph, and that “if we continue what we’ve been doing, you’re not going to see any different result”, and that there needs to be a South African style of play.
“We are low in confidence and we’ll try our best to try and fix the problems. We want to end this tour on a good note. Saturday was dreadful, and no-one can be happy with that result. With due respect to Italy, it was the way we lost it as well. We had enough opportunities to win it easily and unfortunately we didn’t,” Coetzee said.
“We are in a bit of a hole at the moment, and the buck stops with me. It is my responsibility to get the team out of that hole. It’s been a tough year and I can take responsibility for a lot of things. But I only got started in April, and there are challenges in South African rugby that are unique to us.
#AllisterCoetzee and his coaching staff should do the honorable thing and resign! #NoPoliticsInSport #Springboks #ITAvRSA
— Niёl Kruger (@Xavier_101) November 19, 2016
“There’s no excuse for the poor performance, but there are discussions happening and it is looking really positive. This is a great opportunity to address the problems and clean out the wounds. We need to diagnose and treat the symptoms of it.
“In the 21 years since our World Cup win in 1995, we’ve only had four good years, and if we continue what we’ve been doing, you’re not going to see any different result. We’ve got this chance to make South African rugby come first and become aligned. There has to be a South African way of playing, and that is starting to come around. There are a lot of dark clouds, but the silver lining is there I believe.”
Have to say it takes skill from #AllisterCoetzee to take the @Springboks and turn them into the #EPKings. #SaVsItaly
— Jano du Toit (@JanoDuToit) November 19, 2016
But whether Coetzee will still be around when South African rugby rises again is uncertain. A conservative game plan, failing to give opportunities to new stars such as Rohan Janse van Rensburg and a lack of urgency in everything they do saw SA Rugby president Mark Alexander issue a statement less than an hour after the Italy Test to announce a full review of the Boks following the Welsh match.
Alexander said that the results “have not been good enough” and that “questions will be asked at the end of the season when we will undertake a full review of the year and what new interventions may be needed to turn things around”.
Coetzee, though, is not giving up just yet, and said yesterday that he will bring in some fresh blood for Saturday’s clash against Wales at the Millennium Stadium (7.30pm kick-off, SA time).
“I have signed a four-year contract and I’ll do my best to make sure we perform this weekend. Whatever happens, happens, but I’ve got a four-year deal,” the 53-year-old said.
Both Allister Coetzee and jones have had 10 games in charge and eng rugby was in a bigger mess than bokke when he took over
— Mike (@mike_superb) November 12, 2016
“I can promise you this weekend is going to be a physical battle decided by small margins. We need to focus on our processes and the result will come from that. A few basic things can cost you the game, so the focus this week is on simplicity and I want to have enthusiasm out there.
“I’ll be making changes to the team to bring that enthusiasm and energy, and hopefully we can get a result.”
Cape Argus