Coetzee can turn the Springboks around by following his instincts
TO GET the Springboks out of the quagmire they are in, coach Allister Coetzee needs to trust his gut and return to doing the things that made him the public’s favourite to take over from Heyneke Meyer.
The Boks face Australia in Pretoria on Saturday in a clash that carries as much weight for the home side as the last encounter did for Wallaby coach Michael Cheika ahead of the Brisbane Test.
The Springboks simply have to win or the little bit of public faith that remains following their three straight losses to Argentina, Australia and New Zealand could disappear. And Lord knows how long, or what, it will take to restore it.
Back at the end of 2000 when Coetzee became the first black coach of a provincial team, he encountered some gut-wrenching problems at Eastern Province.
The team was divided along racial lines and the controlling rugby body at the time was clueless about the best plans to integrate black, white, coloured and Muslim players into one dressing room — which is why it is still an issue that bugs the South African Rugby Union.
Coetzee could not expect help from above when he inherited a team from the late Nelie Smith that was festering with distrust between the races. It was understandable, in a way, because strangers had been forced to share cloakrooms and showers. But Coetzee made the best of his time at the Mighty Elephants. Players such as Chad Alcock and Ricardo Loubscher were roped into the Sharks Super 12 squad and went on to achieve higher honours. He too was brought to Durban as an assistant coach. And the Sharks were not a bad side in those days.
The challenge Coetzee faces at the Springboks is far tougher than what he has experienced but his instincts have seldom let him down before. It is not Coetzee’s inclination to pick a scrumhalf — Francois Hougaard — at wing and expect him to front up against Israel Dagg and the insatiable Ben Smith.
Yes, Ruan Combrinck is injured but did Lwazi Mvovo do so badly in the first half of the second Test against Ireland in Johannesburg that he must be banished to the Currie Cup? Do his 18 other Tests count for nothing?
It is also not in his DNA to have a defence so disorganised that three phases is all it takes for the Boks to crack open like a fortune cookie.
Would this happen if he were still at the Stormers? Instead of fixing the problem, the removal of Lionel Mapoe from the starting XV has worsened it.
Jesse Kriel is without doubt a quality player but he ought to be competing for a place at fullback.
Forget about what is being said regarding the backroom staff and Chean Roux’s abilities as a defensive co-ordinator for a minute — Mapoe’s defensive organisation is a strength the Springboks cannot do without at the moment.
Coetzee has shown he is not afraid to wield the axe when needed. It is a mark of good leadership to make the necessary change when your plans are not working the way you initially thought, instead of stubbornly pushing forward.
Releasing Damian de Allende, who has been a roadblock to the Springbok backline despite being coerced by coaches to free up space for his outside backs, showed that Coetzee has it in him to be brutal.
Elton Jantjies and Faf de Klerk, who are expected to lose their starting places when the squad is announced at 1pm on Thursday, have also paid the price of injudicious decision-making. The half-back pair still hold all the ingredients to the game plan SA wants to play under Coetzee but they have lacked the calmness necessary to succeed under pressure at Test level.
They could get it right, eventually, but as things stand Coetzee is set to make the selections that he believes will win him this forthcoming Test.
The question onlookers are asking is: for whom is “Toetie’s” sword prescribed and who is spared?
South African rugby’s problems are deep but the Bok team, man-forman, is not a reflection of their recent performances. Toetie cannot do much about the boardroom decisions that have hindered rugby’s growth but he can get the team winning again, starting this weekend.