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Cape Town - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee says he is the right man to get South African rugby back on track after their shock loss to Italy on Saturday.
The Boks suffered their sixth defeat of the season by going down 20-18 to Italy in Florence, but Coetzee was defiant in the post-match interviews.
"I believe I am the right man. I haven't lost the dressing room," Coetzee said after the game.
"We have a good plan and the players have bought into that. There wasn't a single moment during our preparation this week where the attitude of the players wasn't right."
However, Coetzee admitted his future as Bok coach was out of his hands.
"Our performance against Italy was definitely not up to the Springbok standards. It's the darkest moment of my coaching career. The emotions are running high. It's an embarrassment," he said.
"I can only congratulate Italy on their brilliant performance. Our teams doesn't have enough confidence while they are a young side who are playing without pressure. Now we have a mountain to climb. As a group we have to take full responsibility."
Coetzee believes the Boks had enough chances to win the game.
"When I look at the first 20 minutes, I actually can't believe it. I am dumbfounded that we didn't use our chances. At one stage we had five players over Italy on the attack but still couldn't score. I don't have answers," he said.
"We played in the right areas of the field, the kicking was better and we had six lineouts in Italy's 22. We didn't use our opportunities; that is what it comes down to."
