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Cape Town - The Springboks will not become world beaters overnight and fans should display some patience as the team rebuilds.
That is the view of former assistant coach and centre Brendan Venter.
Venter, who played 17 Tests for the Springboks between 1994 and 1999, expressed his views via a column for the Stuff.co.nz website where he said the Springboks should adopt a a performance-driven model to ensure success in the long term.
Current coach Rassie Erasmus has started his tenure with three wins from six Tests in 2018 and Venter warned him not to fall in the same trap as predecessors Heyneke Meyer and Allister Coetzee.
“As much as we want to blame Meyer and Coetzee for the Springboks' slump in recent times - losing to Japan and suffering a record defeat to the All Blacks - we can't cast them as scapegoats because Erasmus is now also struggling. And if he keeps on chopping and changing, because all he is looking at is results and winning at all costs, he will follow the same path as his predecessors,” Venter wrote.
“The powers that be need to be patient with Erasmus, so that he can buck the trend and implement a long-term vision. The fact the Springboks have slipped to their joint-lowest world ranking of seventh doesn't bother me. My issue is not with rankings and results because I measure progress and performance. I live my life as a coach and doctor based on simple principles. The trick is to follow the process and be performance-driven”
READ: Boks slip to joint lowest ever ranking
Venter, who was South Africa’s assistant coach last season, called on Springbok fans to accept that the team will have some hiccups along the way.
“Erasmus is a very good coach, with strong pedigree but he was naïve by stating publicly that he must be judged solely on results and transformation, which are purely numbers-driven.”
CLICK HERE to read Brendan Venter’s dull column on the Stuff.co.nz website
