Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee reportedly sent SA Rugby a detailed e-mail in December in which he outlined plans to resurrect the ailing national team.
This was reported by Afrikaans newspaper Rapport on Sunday.
Coetzee, though, is still waiting for a response as SA Rugby’s offices were closed over the festive period and only re-open on Monday.
According to the report, Coetzee asked SA Rugby for strategic sessions to be held early in January to resolve issues.
Coetzee also requested for discussions to be held with specialists from the country’s Super Rugby teams regarding the Springboks’ weak defensive system in 2016.
Coetzee wanted this to be done on Monday, but is yet to receive a response, the newspaper report claimed.
A report late last year indicated that Brendan Venter could be drafted in as a permanent advisor to Coetzee, while Franco Smith and JP Ferreira - who went along as Coetzee’s assistants on last year’s year-end tour to Europe - are believed to be wanted on a permanent basis.
Smith is the Cheetahs’ head coach, while Ferreira is the Lions’ defence coach.
The Springboks had a terrible 2016 season, winning only four out of 12 Tests.
It gave Coetzee a paltry 33% win-record in his first season in charge, the worst of any Bok coach in the professional era.
But it’s unlikely that Coetzee will get the sack as it would cost SA Rugby in the region of R13m to fire him.
Should Coetzee, as expected, stay on in his job, it would prove troublesome to attain Venter’s services on a permanent basis.
The former Springbok centre runs a medical practice in Strand and in recent times only helped out with rugby matters on a consultancy basis.
He was the leader of SA Rugby’s first indaba last October and also helped Italy as defence coach during the November Test window - when they upset the Springboks 20-18 in Florence.
