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Bloemfontein - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has not inspired much confidence ahead of his side's Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks at Newlands on Saturday.
Coetzee watched on as the Boks drew 27-27 with Australia this past weekend - a result that did little to suggest that they had recovered from a 57-0 hammering at the hands of the All Blacks in Albany two weekends prior.
Since Coetzee took over as Bok coach ahead of the 2016 international season, he has registered three straight defeats against the world champions.
The results read: 41-13, 57-15 and 57-0 in favour of the 'old foe', and in that time the Boks have only managed to score a single try - to New Zealand's 23.
Based on those numbers, there is little to suggest that the Boks can pull off a win in Cape Town.
And, it seems, Coetzee agrees.
"You must remember, we’re playing against a very good All Black side," he said in Bloemfontein.
"To think after three months and two weeks that this team, who got together this year, can just topple the All Blacks easily ... it’s living in a fool’s paradise.
"One’s got to look at the strides that we’re making and build on that.
"We’re still hurting, obviously, after the last result against them and we’ll prepare as well as we can. We’ll be ready for them next week at Newlands."
Those were hardly fighting words, but the Bok coach did add that his side would always play to win, regardless of the opposition.
