Do or die for Boks at Loftus
Unpredictable French are marching to Pretoria
The Springboks head into the first test of 2017 desperate for any sort of victory. Allister Coetzee’s charges finished a horrific 2016 season — the Boks’ worst of the professional era — with four straight losses. A defeat to France in Pretoria on Saturday would stretch their losing streak to five. The Boks have not lost five tests in a row since 2006.Coetzee has spoken about "moving on" after a 2016 season that witnessed a total of eight losses in 12 tests. But it’s hard to forget just how poorly the Boks fared last year.The results alone tell a story: defeats against Ireland (at home) and Argentina (away); and record losses to the All Blacks (home) and Wales. The Boks suffered their first loss to England in 10 years when they went down to Eddie Jones’s side at Twickenham. The nadir of the nightmare, though, was the first-ever loss to lowly Italy, in Florence.More than six months have passed since the Boks’ last match of 2016 — against Wales, in Cardiff. Since then, Coetzee has made...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.