The Springboks’ headache cures … according to Allister

There’s nothing riding on the Springboks’ Test against the All Blacks at Newlands on Saturday except the restoration of South African pride.

Following a 57-0 thrashing at the hands of the world champions three weeks ago, coach Allister Coetzee and his troops are desperate to show improvement.

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But they haven’t done themselves much favours with some of their selections and tactics, leading to many still doubting how coherent the Springboks’ bigger plan is.

Here’s how Coetzee addressed a few of those issues.

On the questionable selection of Pieter-Steph du Toit at No 7 when he doesn’t seem comfortable in that position…

I can’t say much on (when he played there against) Japan (in the 2015 World Cup) but there were issues on the defensive front against England. Ever since, he’s grown and improved a hell of a lot. You’ll see an improved Pieter-Steph. He’s made a conscious effort.

Whether it was justified to still keep Ruan Dreyer at tighthead after two lowly performances…

I think it’s important to give Ruan an opportunity to fix things. Who says the next guy coming in – especially a young player like Wilco Louw – will get it right the first time? I know his scumming prowess. Just knowing that gives us confidence. But Ruan will be better, he’s learnt his lesson. You gain confidence from experience.

Whether the Springboks should start employing a “rush” defence to pressurise opponents better…

Somewhere you have to start building a system. If you rush and you get it right, it works. If you get it wrong, what do you fall back on? Somewhere, you need to start putting pieces together. You have to understand what the tackler’s role is, what the adjusting tackler’s role is and the catch-up defenders’ role is. Once they are connected and you understand your system, then you can adjust your line speed. Line speed isn’t something you just decide to do. Yes, we’ve been too passive but we’re not going to make jumps.

Are the Springboks dealing with the mental scars dealt by the All Blacks after the Albany match…

Of course, we do speak about that. We have Dr Pieter Kruger with us who handles our so-called “battle talk”. He facilitates talks on how we need to adjust and handle pressure. We talked about that. There are triggers that we talked about and hopefully they’ll be executed.