Bok coach out of his depth

SPRINGBOK coach Allister Coetzee has fallen way short of his commitment to transform the Springboks into a team that will play modern day running rugby.

The truth of the matter is that he has in fact taken the Boks back into their old mode of brute force and very little else. In fact, if Coetzee was honest with himself, he would realise that he has proved to the brains trust of world rugby he is nowhere near to being effective. Here are the reasons why.

He continually picks a scrumhalf that is totally out of his depth. This player has been substituted on numerous occasions and his successor has added more in his 20 minutes than that particular player did for the entire game. He then blunders by picking the top lock at open side flank. The bottom line was that both of these players’ weaknesses were exploited and cost the Boks two tries, plus conversions – a total of 14 points. Coetzee also continually picks players that are past their best and the young talent is overlooked.

Just to mention a few: Jamba Ulengo, Aranos Coetzee, Uzair Cassiem. Coetzee continually blames the players for their lack of skill when the problem lies with him and his coaches.

The Springboks are losing their mojo under Coetzee. The time for an international coach is now. The Springboks will need to click in order to beat Wales at the Millennium Stadium on November 26. Let’s hopefully see an improved Springbok side against Italy. — Mike Godfrey, via e-mail