Coetzee faces rugby disgrace
TWO matches to restore Springbok pride. That is what’s on the line for 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, as is the pedigree of his assistants.
The players also have it all to do to win over very critical fans, not to mention save their international careers.
It is a two-week period during which Coetzee and his men will feel pressure from every side, with every decision scrutinised and dissected.
The Boks have perhaps never been in a more precarious position. It is not a nice place to be, 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.
After battling past Ireland in June and then edging Argentina in Nelspruit in the Rugby Championship opener, the Boks have lost three on the trot. They first went down to the Pumas in Salta and then lost 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 against the Wallabies.
There can be no arguments about being soundly beaten by the All Blacks, though. Or can there?
Four of the six All Black tries came directly from Bok errors. The other two can be attributed to poor defending. Word in the Bok camp last Sunday was that the players had felt very much in the game at half-time (15-10) and that the All Blacks are very “beatable”.
But if the Boks are to taste victory in either of the next two matches, they will have to do a lot better.
That means holding on to the ball for longer periods, kicking well into the corners and improving defensively. Those will be the three areas that Coetzee focuses on next week after the 31-man squad come together tomorrow.
Pride is on the line. For now the Boks must go back to what they know best, build a strong platform with powerful forward play, kick well and be aggressive in the tackle.
The Boks are back on familiar ground, 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. It’s time for the players to 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 next Friday.