Boks on upward curve – Coetzee
Coach not happy with draw, but pleased with performance
THE fact that Springbok coach Allister Coetzee was unhappy with the 23-all draw against Australia in their Rugby Championship clash was indicative of how much the team has grown this year.
The Springboks’ winless run in Australia now stretches to four years – but they are still unbeaten this year.
Coetzee reckoned they should have hauled themselves over the line in Perth on Saturday – and had chances to do so.
However‚ composure is a mental skill that is not acquired overnight and at nib Stadium that was more Western Force than the Wallabies‚ it departed them at a crucial juncture.
Coetzee, though, was quick to acknowledge that they are far from the finished product.
“We’re really not happy with the result. I’m pleased with the performance as a whole,” he said.
“We came back from 20-10 and that showed the character of the team and we’re growing as a team facing different challenges.
“We had three linebreaks in the last 20 minutes and we didn’t have any reward for that.
“I’m not happy with a draw‚ we’re not happy with a draw. I don’t think any Springbok side would be happy with a draw.
“We did enough but our discipline let us down in the first half.”
“Defensively, we were good and the most important thing was how we adapted to the conditions in the second half. I have to watch the tape again, but the big plus was the character shown by the team.
“We are continuing to scrum well and we are happy with that.”
“Our lineout play has been very good this year and there’s been a massive improvement in our mauling,” he said.
The All Blacks loom large in Albany next week and Coetzee said they were well served by focusing on one game at a time.
Considering how poor the Boks were last year‚ they could not be accused of looking ahead while they were preparing for another match.
An impressive aspect was how the Boks kept their structure together in the last 20 minutes before bottling the game in the last three minutes.
The Boks also showed impressive character to salvage the game after trailing 20-10, following Tatafu Polota-Nau’s 47th minute try, as the Wallabies capitalised on their 13-10 half-time lead.
With the All Blacks being masters at wearing down opposition before putting them away in the last 20 minutes‚ Coetzee was happy with how his team managed the game in the last quarter.
Coetzee, though, admitted they were still light years behind the All Blacks from a collective conditioning perspective.
“When you get the national team two weeks before a test‚ how much conditioning can you do?”
“It [conditioning] has to take place at franchise level and that’s what we started last year.
“It’s not perfect yet but we’re heading in the right direction. We’re at a much higher level now,” he said.