Allister Coetzee has reiterated that he will not walk away from the Bok coaching job, but has conceded that he made mistakes during his first year at the helm.
The Boks returned from a disastrous end-of-year tour on Monday, with the side having drawn with the Barbarians before suffering defeats against England, Italy and Wales. It left the side with a 33% win record for the year, while causing the Boks to slip to sixth in the world rankings.
Fronting up to the media in Johannesburg upon the team's arrival, Coetzee remained defiant as he insisted that he wanted to be part of finding the solution to the Boks' woes this year.
'There will have to be change but it is too early [to comment]. I have to discuss it with SA Rugby,' he commented, according to the Times Media Group. 'I can understand that the supporters are disappointed, and so are we. Whatever the spectators feel [is] just perceptions. There are also many who feel I should stay on.
'I'm a guy who will never just walk away. I still see massive opportunities for South African rugby not to plaster over wounds. Clean it out, [and commit to] six months of better planning.'
Coetzee has a four-year contract to lead the team to the 2019 World Cup in Japan, and with no apparent performance clause in place, it appears he will remain in the top job for the time being.
Over the coming weeks, a conditioning indaba workshop for the national teams and Super Rugby biokineticists will take place on 7 December, and another coaching indaba between the Springbok coaches and franchise coaches will be held on 12 December.
Meanwhile, a general council meeting on 9 December could also have a significant bearing on the future of rugby in South Africa.
In discussing where things went wrong for the Boks this year, Coetzee raised concerns over the management of overseas-based players, and said he was disappointed by the skill levels displayed by the players. However, he also finally accepted some personal culpability.
'The players will own up. I'm disappointed in a lot of things, in my management and in myself as well.'
Photo: Johan Rynners/Gallo Images
