It’s Bok to the basics
Coetzee’s men can reclaim the pride, and rekindle the passion
TWO matches to restore Springbok pride. That’s what’s on the line for coach Allister Coetzee and his Boks in the next two weeks as they host the Wallabies and the All Blacks in Pretoria and Durban respectively.
Also, Coetzee’s reputation as a top international coach is in the balance and so, too, the pedigree of his assistants.
The players also have it all to do to get a critical support base behind them again, while their international careers are also on the line.
It is a two-week period in which Coetzee and Co will feel pressure from every side imaginable and every decision he and his team make will be scrutinised and dissected.
The Boks have arguably never been in a more precarious position, with questions being asked daily about the coaching staff, the playing personnel and the style of rugby they’re playing.
It is not the most comfortable position to be in but this is the time when Coetzee must stand tall, take bold decisions and lead his team into battle with a clear idea of what needs to be done to come out on the other side with heads held high.
After battling past Ireland in June and then edging Argentina in Nelspruit in the Rugby Championship opener a few weeks ago, the Boks have lost three on the trot.
They first went down to Los Pumas in Salta and then lost out to the Wallabies in Brisbane and the All Blacks in Christchurch last weekend.
But as poor as they’ve been, Coetzee will feel his side could have won in Salta and should have won in Brisbane, against arguably the weakest Australian team put on a rugby field.
They were lost opportunities and Coetzee will be desperate to make up for it at Loftus Versfeld next Saturday when the Wallabies visit the capital.
There can be no arguments about being soundly beaten by the All Blacks, though. Or can there?
Four of the six All Blacks tries came directly from Bok errors, while the other two can be attributed to poor defending.
Word in the Bok camp last Sunday was the players felt they were very much in the game until half-time (15-10) and that the All Blacks are very much “beatable”.
Indeed. But for the Boks to get up against the Wallabies next Saturday and All Blacks the week after, they’ll have to play a lot smarter than they’ve done up to now.
That means holding on to the ball for longer periods, kicking well into the corners and improving defensively.
Those will be the three areas Coetzee and his team will focus on next week after the 31-man squad have come together tomorrow.
The Boks must go back to what they know best, build a strong platform with powerful forwards play, and kick well and be aggressive in the tackle.
They are back on familiar ground that has generally treated them well in the past, so it’s time to forget what has gone before and focus on what lies ahead.
It may not look like it, but the Boks are not far away from clicking. If whoever Coetzee picks at scrumhalf and flyhalf can take control of the game and dictate matters and give confidence to the men around them, the Boks will already be better off.
Go back to basics, do the fundamentals well and play with pride and passion.
The team will be based in Fourways next week before transferring to Pretoria on Friday.