Rugby
John Goliath, Special to ESPN 6y

A year that was: Springbok rugby in 2017

Rugby

Allister Coetzee insists the Springboks were much improved in 2017 following a horror show in 2016.

Statistically, the Bok coach is correct, as South Africa won seven times this year compared to their four victories in the previous year. But, as the late author Aaron Levenstein once said, "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital."

Despite boasting a massive improvement from 2016, Coetzee's future is seemingly still in doubt after his bosses at SA Rugby decided to postpone an announcement on his future until the new year. With Rassie Erasmus assuming his duties as new director of rugby, it does seem like the end is near for Coetzee.

All of the Springboks' victories came against teams who were ranked below them, and they suffered two record defeats against New Zealand and Ireland -- matches in which they didn't actually look like a functional international team.

So, while Coetzee is happy with his team's progress, the Boks don't even look like semi-final material at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, never mind like a team that can actually go out and win the showpiece event.

Coetzee has preached progress, but celebrating mediocrity has become a hallmark of his tenure as Bok coach. The one-point defeat by the All Blacks in Cape Town was hailed by the coach as a possible turning point, especially after they lost 57-0 to the New Zealanders in Albany a few weeks earlier.

But the Boks never really looked like challenging the All Blacks, Australia -- the teams drew twice in 2017 -- and Ireland, while Eddie Jones and his England side will be licking their chops at the prospect of inflicting more pain on South African rugby supporters in June.

The year started brightly for the Boks, with a 3-0 series win over a rather average France team coming off the back of a couple of rugby conferences and a top team-building camp in Plettenberg Bay.

Coetzee decided to go with a team consisting mostly of homegrown players, after falling back on many tried-and-trusted players in his first year in charge. Five debutants started the first Test against France in Pretoria, with Coetzee making minimal changes throughout the series.

However, there was one enforced change for the final Test in Johannesburg, after captain and No 8 Warren Whiteley was ruled out for the rest of the year with a groin injury. Lock Eben Etzebeth then took over the captaincy.

The Boks took that momentum from the France series into the Rugby Championship, and two routine victories over Argentina gave the country a glimmer of hope going into the home and away fixtures against Australia and New Zealand.

The rugby the Boks were producing was especially encouraging. They weren't conceding many points, and played a fast-paced, ball-in-hand game. But it took a rain shower ahead of the Test against the Wallabies in Perth for Coetzee's men to creep back into their shells.

Suddenly there was no more counter-attacking, and aimless kicks took fans back to an uninspiring 2016. The Boks came from behind to draw 23-23 with the Aussies, but in essence it was a step backwards following a promising build-up. And a week later all that hard work and promise would be undone in a pathetic display against the All Blacks.

The South Africans were the best team on the park in the first 10 minutes of the match in Albany, but were given a lesson in finishing and taking opportunities by the All Blacks. After that the Boks' dysfunctional set-piece and their passive defence contributed to one of the darkest sporting days in the history of South African sport.

The once fierce rivalry between the teams was no more, even though the Boks produced a performance fuelled by passion and heart at Newlands.

But the Boks can't rely on good old South African heart and desire to win Test matches anymore. There needs to be a certain level of rugby intelligence, tactical nous and the ability to execute under pressure. These are things that set the best teams in the world apart. These are areas where the Springboks have fallen behind in the game.

It was clear in the two matches the Boks ended up losing on the end-of-year tour against Ireland and Wales.

The Boks had no answer to Ireland's pace and execution with and without the ball, while their set-piece play again crumbled under pressure and, against Wales, the Boks were absolutely nowhere on defence.

There were victories against an awful France side and Italy in between those Tests -- the first wins since beating Argentina in August -- but it shouldn't disguise the massive cracks in the Boks' armour at the moment.

Firing Coetzee is probably not going to help the Boks conquer the world any time soon, as SA Rugby also needs a bit of shake-up following a terrible last five years for the national team. But something needs to give.

Hopefully in 2018 South Africans will see some real progress as far as the Springboks are concerned. Despite all Coetzee's ramblings, there certainly wasn't anything worthwhile under the bikini.

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