Springbok coach Allister Coetzee seemingly took offence at Scott Robertson's fitness comments‚ saying little attention should be paid to his predecessors.
In the aftermath of the Crusaders' 62-24 thumping of the Bulls on May 6‚ Robertson said the South African Super Rugby teams weren't fit enough.
Conditioning‚ or a lack of it‚ was a trending theme during the Boks' disastrous 2016.
An example was the 57-15 caning against the All Blacks in King's Park where Steve Hansen's side rifled in five tries in the last quarter.
- 'I'm never too old to learn but you also have to reward form,' says Bok coach CoetzeeSpringbok coach Allister Coetzee revealed that his chastening 2016 experiences have informed his selection of a mix-and-match squad that has a fair blend of youth and experience.
“I know the predecessors have mentioned this but don't jump up and down‚ especially over what the Crusaders guy had said‚" Coetzee said.
"It's something we took on board last year.
"That's why we had a conditioning indaba.
"There's a standardised test protocol from each of the conditioning coaches and we're in a good condition from a collaboration point.
“The Bok players are in the hands of the franchises and coached through the franchises to get better Springboks.
"When we conclude the inbound series‚ these players must go back to their franchises fitter to contest Super Rugby play-offs.
- ANALYSIS: Allister Coetzee hits the reset button on the SpringboksSpringbok coach Allister Coetzee hit the reset button on Tuesday when he named 31 players for next month's three-Test series against France.
"It's not about just staying fit for your franchise and not worrying about the Boks.
"It's a collaboration otherwise we'll never win this conditioning battle.
"We are getting better and we're getting results.
"The players understand and the onus is on them to understand they're fit enough to compete at this level.”
The French maybe Coetzee's immediate problem but the menacing All Blacks loom in the horizon should Coetzee's side beat France and ostensibly‚ keep him in the job.
There has been the significant matter of the Bulls‚ Cheetahs and Stormers struggling against the New Zealand sides.
The Bulls have a tough task against the Hurricanes on Saturday while the Cheetahs have been blanked by the New Zealand sides.
The Stormers beat the Chiefs and the Blues at home but their “progress” was put in perspective but the consecutive 40-point plus clobberings at the hands of the Crusaders‚ Highlanders and Hurricanes.
Coetzee admitted they still had some way to go to catch up with New Zealand but the Boks will catch up at some point.
“When the Stormers beat the Chiefs at Newlands‚ we were very excited and that's something I have to look at.
"We're probably not where we're supposed to be as compared to the New Zealand sides but that doesn't mean we won't get there.
"There's constant improvement and the Lions have been fantastic in that regard‚” Coetzee said.
“There've been glimpses from the other teams‚ especially the Sharks‚ and the way they've played at certain stages and that makes me positive.
"It's not a question of looking at the scoreline but looking at what certain players can do in terms of their skillsets.”
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 