He’s quick, he’s strong and has a big left boot, so Lions’ Coetzee warrants Bok call
WHENEVER the Lions are discussed and the quality of their players debated, the names roll off the tongue – Malcolm Marx, Franco Mostert, Jaco Kriel, Warren Whiteley, Elton Jantjies, Rohan Janse van Rensburg ... and then some. A player who hardly gets a mention though is Andries Coetzee.
The 27-year-old fullback is a mainstay in Johan Ackermann’s team and a player who is highly valued at Ellis Park, so much so that his name is one of the first on the team sheet every week.
Coetzee (pictured) has been one of the unsung heroes in the Lions team over the last few seasons and this week was rewarded with a call-up to the second Springbok training camp, to take place in Stellenbosch from Sunday. It’ll be his first involvement with the Boks.
He’ll be the first to say being part of a training camp though means zilch, but at least Boeboes – as he is known to his friends and teammates – is getting some kind of recognition.
Everyone likes it when their hard work is noticed, and rugby players are no different.
Coetzee missed a great deal of last season because of injury but he has been superb in his five Super Rugby games so far this year and it’s debatable whether there has been a more consistent fullback in South Africa so far... or in the last two years, for that matter.
Willie le Roux has been tried at Test level, been dropped and then recalled. People talk about Jesse Kriel being an option, there’s Warrick Gelant, there’s Dillyn Leyds, who some are excited about. There’s Clayton Blommetjies ... and more. But what about Coetzee?
He has played a big role in the Lions winning four of their five matches so far this season, and some of his stats tell the story of a player who is in the form of his life: ball-carries 50; running metres 317m; clean-breaks eight; defenders beaten 17; try-assists three; and good passes 68.
The thing with Coetzee is you’re never going to get flashy, but you’re always going to have consistency in performance. He does the basics well, kicks the ball a mile and runs like the wind. Also, he can play anywhere in the backline – and has done so before.
Lions backs coach Swys de Bruin is a big fan of the unassuming fullback. “Andries is one of the best fullbacks I’ve worked with, if not the best,” the well-travelled De Bruin told SA Rugby magazine last year.
“He’s got everything... he’s quick, he’s strong and he has a big left boot. I’m really surprised he hasn’t been called up for higher honours yet.”
Well, Coetzee will be at next week’s training camp and he’ll be hoping to make a big impression. Fullback is, after all, one of the positions national coach Allister Coetzee will be looking to fill this year.
Added De Bruin: “He reminds me of (former Bok stalwart) Andre Joubert... he reads the game so well. His counter-attacking ability is such a strength.”
Coetzee’s time of flying under the radar might just be coming to an end. He’ll be hoping for another big performance when the Lions host the Sharks in a big South African derby at Ellis Park this weekend, before going off to the Bok training camp.
Lions boss Johan Ackermann will finalise his line-up for the Sharks match today.
Youngsters in the Sharks team are nothing new, it is what they pin their hats, and their hopes, on, but when you realise that Jean-Luc du Preez is only 21 years old, it still surprises you.
The big flanker, with a big engine, is a star performer for the Sharks, and not only in one aspect. He is equally good at carrying the ball or defending and seems to be the complete package.
The young Springbok has been enthused ahead of his team’s trip to Johannesburg, to one of the biggest rugby fortresses around in Ellis Park, asking for a complete performance from his own side.
Du Preez offers a lot of the traditional qualities of a Sharks team, and a Sharks pack, especially. He is a busy player and never far from the action, he works hard on stopping the opposition and looks to dominate tackles with abrasive defence.
As a ball-carrier, he mimics old stars such as Bismarck du Plessis, Willem Alberts and Frans Steyn for ferocity.
It is probably a big call to declare that he is the cornerstone of the Sharks pack, but he certainly has the all-round qualities that the team could aspire to in order to beat a Lions side that will be the heavy favourites come 5pm in Johannesburg.
“We’re happy with the balance between attack and defence,” Du Preez explained. “Last year we were a bit more defensively orientated but we’ve shifted towards a bit more attack this year. I think we’re approaching a complete game much more than before.
“It has been hard losing key, senior players like Keegan Daniel, Pat Lambie and Philip van der Walt to injury, but it’s up to the individual, who comes in, to step up. You can’t be hesitant, that’s where it’s all about professionalism,” Du Preez added.