BARNSTORMING BRILLIANCE
SERIES IS WON: COETZEE’S BOKS SHOW STRENGTHENED FRENCH NO MERCY
Skipper Whiteley lauds commitment of his players.
Rudolph Jacobs
It took the Springboks nine months to bury the pain from the All Blacks debacle at King’s Park last year, according to national coach Allister Coetzee.
The Boks earned a superb 3715 win over France in Durban on Saturday to clinch a Test series win with a game to spare, showing how far they had come since their 57-15 thumping by New Zealand.
“It was an unbelievable performance by the players, indicating the way the team has grown over nine months since (the All Black defeat) which left us all with a lot of pain,” Coetzee said.
“But it’s not perfect and we haven’t achieved anything yet.”
The Boks outscored the strengthened French team by four tries to two, and Coetzee lauded the squad’s attitude, especially on defence in the second half.
“We can be proud of our setpiece, our attack, and particularly our defence,” he said.
While French coach Guy Noves identified the Boks’ defence in the second half as the main difference between the sides, Coetzee lauded the passion of his players.
“It comes from within the players and what they feel for each other, the passion the commitment. They all took responsibility.”
Though the hosts will be without flank Oupa Mohoje for the third Test at Ellis Park this weekend, after he was concussed in the 14th minute, his replacement Jean-Luc du Preez was brilliant.
“Jean-Luc and all the other bench players made huge impacts and that’s part of the plan, like when Coenie (Oosthuizen) came on and scored a try and made big hits,” Coetzee said.
“We were really tested by the French physicality.”
Other big stars for the Boks were flank Siya Kolisi, flyhalf Elton Jantjies, centre Jan Serfontein and lock Franco Mostert, but Coetzee raved about the 23-man effort.
Captain Warren Whiteley admitted there had been a lot of pressure on the team, with the tourists selecting their best side after resting some of their stars for the series opener in Pretoria.
“There were a fair bit of unknowns going into the previous week and a lot of pressure, but the second week was easier with the continuity in selection,” he said.
“Our preparation was head-on in order to perform in the second Test, and the leadership group was great.”