SA Rugby’s decision to retain Allister Coetzee and the bulk of his staff at the helm of Springbok rugby was as inevitable as it was flawed, writes Craig Ray. At a time when rugby is crying out for a Springbok team that will again compete at the highest level ‚ all we can expect is a holding pattern in mid-table – at best. There will be no closing the gap on England‚ New Zealand and Ireland at the top of the game in 2017. Coetzee’s first year in charge yielded a 33% winning ratio – four wins out of 12 Tests – which alone should have been enough to get him sacked. But that only tells a small part of the story. Poor selections‚ muddled game plans and porous defence, rather than improvement over the course of last season, do not suggest any miraculous turnaround just because Franco Smith has been added to the coaching staff. Smith‚ the Cheetahs coach‚ has a good record and will no doubt add some value to the Bok set-up‚ and Brendan Venter‚ the well-remunerated consultant coach‚ will als...

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