Coetzee calls on Boks to be ruthless
THE series against France is wrapped up but Springboks coach Allister Coetzee wants his team to land a knock-out blow when the teams meet in the third and final Test at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Coetzee’s men have hit back in style at the start of the 2017 international season following a disastrous 2016 where they won only four of 12 matches. Convincing wins in Pretoria and Durban have lifted the gloom that surrounded the team last year, but Coetzee says he wants to see his men kick on in Joburg on Saturday.
“There are times in Test rugby when you need to have a killer instinct ... and that’s what I want to see this weekend,” said Coetzee.
“When you plan to have more lineouts in the opposition 22m area and you do that in the game then you need to be more clinical,” said the coach, referring to a missed lineout late in Saturday’s match in Durban when Bongi Mbonambi had come on to replace Malcolm Marx.
“I want us to be more ruthless ... in the scrums, in the lineouts, when we have possession. When we are carrying the ball and we’re in the right areas of the field we just have to look after the ball better.”
The Boks won the battle against France in Durban, and stood tall defensively, but Coetzee’s men lost several areas of the game, like in the possession and territorial departments, the number of ball carries and offloads made,
KRIELS COULD BE IN LINE FOR TEST RETURN
HOMETOWN favourite Jaco Kriel is in line to feature for the Springboks in the third Test against France at Ellis Park on Saturday.
A series-ending concussion to Oupa Mohoje has opened the door for a new No 7 flank in the Bok side. Jean-Luc du Preez, who replaced Mohoje in the second Test in Durban last weekend and enjoyed a stellar outing, will be the favourite to grab hold of the blindside flank position, but national coach Allister Coetzee has another option to consider.
Siya Kolisi, who was man of the match in Durban, could shift from openside to blindside – a position he is very familiar with – to allow Kriel to come into the starting team in his favourite position, with Du Preez coming off the bench.
What is clear though is Coetzee is considering a role for Kriel, and he’s likely to make a few other changes, too.
“Jaco has recovered
suggesting the French had the better of their hosts in the attacking department.
“Yes, we certainly want to react better when we make a line break, when we need to win a breakdown, but you must also remember that we weren’t chasing the game and that’s why France had more ball carries,” explained Coetzee.
“When you’re chasing, like France were, you’re not going to kick the ball away. You’re going to hold on to it ... that’s why they seemed to attack so much.”
The Boks made 160 tackles and missed just 20 for an 89% success rate, leaving the French frustrated. France tremendously well since the first week,” said Coetzee, who didn’t consider the Lions man for the Loftus Versfeld Test because he felt Kriel wasn’t up to scratch after only recently returning from a knee injury. “He might even find himself in the matchday 23. He’s been training with a lot of confidence.”
Coetzee though said he wanted to build “capacity”, in his words, so might simply continue with Du Preez.
“There’s an opportunity to build that capacity (depth) with JeanLuc continuing as well. I would like to keep the continuity going. I’m not going to change for the sake of change ... we’ve got good combinations going, but there are certain places where I need to see some players, and this is an opportunity for me to have a look at them.”
Coetzee said he was disappointed that Mohoje would miss out this weekend. “It’s a
enjoyed 66% of the possession over the 80 minutes, which allowed them to carry the ball 172 times to the Boks’ 73, while the French also made 166 passes to the hosts’ 89 and offloaded 23 times to the Boks’ eight.
“Our defence was outstanding,” said Coetzee. “It shows everything you need to know about the team’s attitude.”
The coach added if the Boks continued working hard for each other and won the micro battles they’d continue to get better. “If we continue to stop the mauls, scrum like we have, defend like we have, then the results will come. We need to stay sharp and I know this is a cliché, but if we win the small battles between the whistle massive loss. We were happy with his game ... not only is he a lineout option, but he’s got the ability to run like a front lock, he carries hard, he’s strong in defence and he stops the opposition’s momentum,” said Coetzee.
Besides the selection headache at flank, Coetzee also has to decide whether to bring back concussionfree Jesse Kriel at outside centre or continue with Lionel Mapoe, who started in Durban.
“If I reflect and look back at the first Test (when Kriel played outside centre) it is pleasing to see how well Jesse played, especially as he was at fullback most of the time in Super Rugby,” said Coetzee. “He settled quickly at 13, but Lionel had a chance in Durban and also performed ... so it’s a good position to be in, it’s a head-ache, but I know I’ll make the right decision.”
Coetzee will name his team on Thursday. – Jacques van der Westuyzen
blows then the result will look after itself.”
Of course, with the series done and dusted, there is the possibility of the players becoming complacent, but Coetzee said that would never happen with this group of players.
“The players are taking accountability for their actions ... it’s part of our value system,” said Coetzee. “This (winning) is what is expected of you when you represent your country.
“You’ve got to keep getting up every weekend, and the players are embracing that. We want to make sure we go into the break (before the Rugby Championship) with a positive mindset.”