Boks need to 'manage' overseas-based players

Cape Town - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has called for closer management of South Africa's overseas-based players.

The Boks arrived back in Johannesburg on Monday after a woeful northern hemisphere tour that saw them lose to England, Italy and Wales. 

It capped off a disastrous year for South African rugby, and while Coetzee did accept full responsibility for the Boks winning just four matches from 12 this year, he did point to certain external factors that had made his job tougher. 

One of those was the conditioning of overseas-based players. 

Coetzee, speaking to reporters at OR Tambo International, said that it was difficult to monitor the conditioning of players who are based at clubs outside of South Africa.

"This experience has shown that players based overseas ... you don't have control over them," he said.

"You don't know their conditioning levels. Getting them one week before a Test match is not ideal preparation," said Coetzee.

The coach is set to set down with SA Rugby on December 9 to discuss his future and the year that was, and one of the items on the agenda is to discuss overseas-based player policy.

"They are still good players and somehow we have got to get to a point where we know how to manage and monitor players from not inside the country," Coetzee said.

"Those decisions are currently being discussed with the SA Rugby Union and I'm sure a policy will be made in due course."

Interestingly, Coetzee's first ever Bok squad back in June featured just three overseas-based players ahead of the three-Test series against Ireland. 

Back then, Coetzee said that backing local players over those based abroad would be a priority. 

But, as the losses began to accumulate, Coetzee became less strict on that policy.