Coetzee faces first hurdle

Ners. EW Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has made all the right noises and ticked all the important boxes in his short tenure. The Bok coaching job is arguably the most challenging in world rugby. No other inter- national coach has to navigate the tricky waters of the country’s fractured history, the political land- scape and South Africa’s very fickle rugby support- With his calm and steady nature, the former Western Province and Stormers mentor has charmed the media and the rugby-loving public right from his first press conference. Coetzee has also embarked on a campaign to make the Springboks accessible to all the people of South Africa as evidenced by the recent training session at the Belhar Rugby Club. The team were also made to hitchhike from various communities to their training venue in Stellenbosch as part of this campaign. While it is often easy to say the right things, it takes courage to follow through on prom- ises. Hopefully, Coetzee can continue to forge a path towards producing a Springbok team who are em- braced and loved in all corners of the country. Transformation and a willingness to move on from an outdated and stale game plan are two cru- cial issues which could affect whether Coetzee’s Boks will be loved or loathed. While previous coaches have come up with ex- cuses and employed window-dressing tactics, Coet- zee has backed up strong transformation talk with conviction by picking 13 players of colour in his first squad. Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team, although not the formidable All Blacks or the wily Wallabies, will certainly back themselves to provide a stern test and will relish the opportunity to get a victory over one of the traditional powerhouses of world rugby at Newlands. Coetzee will know that the real examination of his credentials begins today.