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When you coach the Springboks, there is always a gun to your head - Coetzee

By Jack Davies
Getty Images

Coaches of the South African national rugby team always work with a gun to their head, according current incumbent Allister Coetzee.

Coetzee clung on to his job at the end of 2016 – a dismal year for the Springboks in which they lost eight of 12 Tests – including a first against Italy.

The 53-year-old signed a new deal that will see him through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup but knows the need for immediate improvements if he is to see out that contract.

“When you coach the Boks, there is always a gun to your head,” he is quoted as saying by IOL. “You simply have to perform, you have to win.

“What I have learnt from last year is that, in Test rugby, winning is everything, no matter the opposition. It’s not about entertainment… the only game plan is to play winning rugby.

“I can tell the South African public that whenever the Boks run out, they can be sure the players will leave nothing out there. They will give it their all, they will show they respect the jersey, that they’ll do it for their country.”

The Springboks take on France in a three-Test series in June, with 41 players gathering for a training camp in Johannesburg this week.

“The big thing here, to start with an assessment camp like this one, is to make sure all the players understand where we are going, what the strategy is, what the plan is,” added Coetzee.

“The planning has been done until 2019 and even 2023… there is a long-term view, with this just being the start.

“What we want is to build continuity in terms of player conditioning, putting fundamental skills in place and being mentally strong to win Test matches. This camp is the start of the process.”

 

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Bull Shark 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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