No decision on Coetzee until the new year

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee. Photo by: Paul Childs

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee. Photo by: Paul Childs

Published Dec 14, 2016

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Cape Town - SA Rugby will continue to “examine their options”, and as a result the future of Springbok coach Allister Coetzee will remain uncertain until the end of January.

Coetzee and three senior Springbok players yesterday had to report to the SA Rugby Steering Committee on the “dreadful season” the national team has experienced this year.

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said: “This has been a period of introspection for SA Rugby with all of us looking at our role in a dreadful season. That process will continue into January as we examine the options at our disposal. We will act upon whatever interventions are identified as being necessary by all involved. I would expect that process to be completed before the end of January,” Alexander said.

“We know Springbok supporters and our partners are looking to us for instant answers and many of them may want to see heads roll. But building winning teams is not an exact science and we want to make sure the changes we make are the right solutions to our current problems.”

Coetzee and retiring captain Adriaan Strauss, flyhalf Pat Lambie and prop Tendai Mtawarira gave feedback to the Springbok Steering Committee, consisting of Francois Davids and James Stoffberg as members of the High Performance Committee, and Saru chief executive Jurie Roux, while Alexander was also present during the report-back session.

During the meeting, Coetzee, Strauss, Lambie and Mtawarira had to provide answers to the panel with regard to the Springboks’ shocking season, in which they lost eight out of 12 Tests, and also report on technical, tactical, operational, logistical and personnel matters and what impact management and players believed these aspects may have had on the team’s gloomy performances.

Apart from losing a record eight Test matches, the Springboks also made history for all the wrong reasons including a defeat to Ireland for the first time on South African soil, a first defeat to Argentina in Salta and their first loss to an inexperienced Italy side in Florence. Coetzee’s men also suffered a record-beating at the hands of New Zealand. 

Cape Times

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