VENTER IMPROVES DEFENCE
Display delights coach, but more work lies ahead
The Springbok rabble that limped out of Cardiff in 2016 after a record eighth loss of the year have been replaced with a vibrant squad that is unrecognisable from eight months ago. Coach Allister Coetzee somehow survived the axe and can rightly take as much credit for the turnaround as he should take the blame for the debacle in 2016. The introduction of Brendan Venter as defence consultant and general life coach for the Boks has been an inspired choice. Whether it was entirely Coetzee’s call is a moot point. There has clearly been a shift in mentality and attitude by the players. The passiveness on defence and the fog with which they played in 2016 has lifted. Saturday’s 37-15 win over France clinched the three-match series 2-0 after the 37-14 win at Loftus a week earlier. The Boks have taken care of business‚ and have done it without being boring men in grey suits. Their business was conducted as if they were a Silicon Valley tech company‚ hatching their plans in chill rooms and d...
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