Springboks secure Smith, keep faith in Coetzee; Planet Rugby

SARU reaffirmed its support for Springbok coach, Allister Coetzee, as it announced their coaching and management staff.

Former Springbok Franco Smith was confirmed as a new member of the Springbok coaching team among a number of adjustments. A major new defensive coach will be confirmed once contractual details are finalised.

“Our coaching review was focused on the Springboks and we identified two areas to give Allister Coetzee additional support at the head of our most prized national asset,” said SA Rugby president, Mr Mark Alexander.

“Franco Smith will continue the work he began with the backs and attack at the end of last year while we are very excited about the new defensive coach we have identified to address matters raised during the review. We expect to be able to confirm that appointment shortly.

“I would like to apologise to our supporters for the delay in this announcement but assure them that it was necessitated not by a lack of clarity of intent, but by the need to first resolve all contractual issues. The outcomes we now have were agreed with Allister some weeks ago.”

Meanwhile, Johan Ackermann, will continue as coach of the SA ‘A’ team for the two match-tour of a French Barbarians team in June while Chean Roux, who won the Varsity Cup three times as coach of Maties, has been appointed as head coach of the Junior Springbok team, after a four-year stint with the Springboks.

Roux will be assisted by Mzwandile Stick, who will take up the role as backline coach with the Junior Springboks. Stick was also earmarked to become assistant coach of the Springbok Sevens team but he has requested to remain in 15-a-side coaching and given further opportunities in that format.

Mr Alexander thanked Franco Smith for answering the call of the Springboks. He explained that Smith would continue as head coach of the Cheetahs in Super Rugby (in 2017, 2018 and 2019) but be otherwise fully engaged on Springbok duty.

“Last year was an incredibly tough one for the Springboks and all of the rugby community suffered,” said Alexander.

“We weighed many factors in the review process but we believe that these changes will strengthen the Springbok management hand.

“The new alignment at both a coaching and conditioning level with the franchises will also provide critical support to the national team. That process continued recently with our third coaches’ indaba and another is already scheduled for later in Super Rugby when the coaches will come together for a third time to discuss our on-field approach. The conditioning coaches are also reconvening on the same day.

“I’d like to thank and commend all the Super Rugby coaches once again for buying in to what we want to do and for putting Springbok needs at the forefront of their thinking.”

 Well you guys are stuck with Coetzee. Good luck with that, they should have brought in a few kiwi assistant coaches at least.

 This is bad news for SA Rugby supporters - Coetzee always was a poor coach for the Storemers/WP and his term thus far has been a disaster.
The rumour was that Coetzee would have a performance clause added to his contract - one wonder whether that was in fact added by the dolts who runs SA Rugby.  
There is no way that Coetzee would improve as a coach and one wonders by what margins the French will beat the Springboks in June.   

 Just_win
 
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Posts: 14521RE: Springboks secure Smith, keep faith in Coetzee; Planet Rugby
February 27, 2017, 16:40:11

 Well you guys are stuck with Coetzee. Good luck with that, they should have brought in a few kiwi assistant coaches at least.

Fact, see the influence it had on the Stormers.. Paul Feeney's hand is clearly visible.  The Springboks are now playing like the Stormers used to and the Stormers are playing like the Springboks should!

Machiavelli  - Top post
The fact is that with Coetzeee as coach - the Stormers used to score somewhere between 21 and 29 tries in the whole season of Super Rugby.   They were stuck with real dead wood in their backline - especially De Jongh and the flyhalfs used by Coetzee - remember Coleman?
Wonder what Franco Smith will achieve with the dolt in charge?  

Wasn't Franco Smith the genius who gave us the YE tour. We have the guy who coached Italy to concede 14 tries in 2 weeks, the guy who gave us the Cardiff disaster coaching the backs....and a head coach who has lost total respect. It's the an old mistake, often seen in business....you don't replace the failing chief, you prop him up from beneath. It never works.

 It'll probably depend on the amount of clout Smith is allowed.  If he is simply going to play second fiddle to Coetzee, I am afraid he will be pulled down to Coetzee's level and within one season he will be worth nothing as a white coach.  However he has the ability to lift the whole sham.
@Mozart, I suspect the YE was one where he simply had to dance to Coetzee's tune and that can never be a decent dance!

 If the weekend's Cheaters game was a way to measure Smit, he falls a bit short. It's stupid to have the backs run everything without some variation. Aimless running is just as boring as aimless kicking. 

 I do not think that you are right Draad.   Keeping ball in hand is always better than aimless kicking handing over possession to the opposing team.    Franco has done well with the limited resources available to him at the Cheetahs.
Problem is - who picked the team for the day?   Coetzee was lie a headless chcicken when it came to team selection - no idea and that remains a problem.   If Coetzee picks the team and then expect from the specialist coaches must do something with them  there is indeed a problem.   
I suspect Coetzee's powers have been trimmed down and the selection will now be done by him  together with the assistant coaches.     

Agreed Draad....and the obsession in our rugby with the no look pass and the googly offload is truly pathetic.

 What is truly pathetic is aimlessly kicking away possession constantly.   There is no place in world rugby for the half-back kickers - who cannot read games situations and kick away balls aimlessly.  
All options should be utilized - kicking is only one of those,   But than kicking must be with a plan in place - like happened in the case of the Kolbe try from the Viljoen kick.
It is only flyhalfs like the Steyns who bugger up rugby totally making sure the opposition gets possession turnovers and counter-attack.      

 So apology to the fans for last year's fiasco? 
Sure the assistant coaches may have been a part of the problem but the entire country knows that Coetzee was the other and probably larger part.