‘Boks were better under Coetzee’

FORMER Springbok centre Brendan Venter says the side performed worse in 2018 than they did in 2017.

Venter, who was a defensive consultant under Bok coach Allister Coetzee last year, wrote in an online column: “The Boks under (Rassie) Erasmus scored 37 tries and conceded 38, while Coetzee’s side scored 39 tries and conceded 32.

“From a purely numbers point of view, it's undeniable that South Africa failed to make progress under Erasmus this season. As a matter of fact, they were worse off this year.

“However, because they beat the All Blacks away from home, the cracks were painted over.”