Error-ridden Boks at fault, not coach – Lood

WHILE the storm clouds gather around embattled Springbok coach Allister Coetzee with reports that he could soon be without a job, Springbok lock Lood de Jager has moved to absolve Coetzee of any shortcomings after the team’s disastrous year.

De Jager, who was one of the 2015 Rugby World Cup’s standout players and also SA Rugby Player of the Year that year, didn’t mince his words in apportioning blame to his teammates and himself, and all but rubbished talk of Coetzee not being the right man to lead the Springboks to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Last year, which was Coetzee’s first season in charge of the national side, the Springboks lost eight of their 12 Tests which included a historic first home defeat at the hands of Ireland, a first loss against Argentina in South America and a maiden loss to Italy.

While the knives are out for Coetzee with the South African Rugby Union reportedly in search of a replacement, De Jager (pictured) says the players let down the coach by making too many mistakes and not following the plan Coetzee and his assistants set out for the team.

“I think the biggest thing that hindered us last year was the mistakes. We had a clear plan and every game we knew what to do but it was up to the players,” De Jager said.

“We as players, and I put my hand up first, we made too many mistakes. It’s individual errors... if each guy makes mistakes then it is 50 mistakes and we lose a Test. We had clear plans what to do and coach Allister always gave us a good plan and we knew what to do.”

In revealing the “painful truth”, De Jager did not pull any punches, calling the general performance of the team “average” and said that his teammates failed to step up to the required standards to be competitive and successful at international level.

“We as players didn’t make the step up last year, we were average. We didn’t work hard enough at the small things, we weren’t clinical enough and we made too many errors. I think everybody can say this and that, but what it comes down to at the end of the day is that we as players were average. We didn’t step up and we are to blame for what happened last year and not anybody else,” said De Jager.

It is not all doom and gloom for the Springboks and De Jager believes that the team’s woes of last year could be the catalyst for better performances and that the lacklustre showings including a record defeat against the All Blacks could be a blessing in disguise for a Springbok team that is in dire straits.

The 24 year-old De Jager also highlighted the team’s low work-rate and their inability to play for the full 80 minutes. This sentiment seems to be amplified by a recent allegation that only two of the 28 players who toured to Europe at the end of last year passed their fitness test.

“No definitely. I learnt a lot out of last year and how you have to work to win a Test match. We didn’t work hard enough, we had a lot of talent (in the) side, but it won’t just happen... you have to work to win a Test match, you have to graft it out even against the minnows. I don’t think we worked hard enough in the first 60 to 70 minutes to earn the win. It all comes down to work rate and doing the small things right. If we can do that I really see a bright future for South African rugby. I think maybe last year was a blessing in disguise, we got a wake-up call as players and I think it is going to help us in the future. Definitely the future of South African rugby will be bright, I’m sure of that.”