Week of soul-searching ahead for Coetzee after Ireland loss

12 June 2016 - 02:00 By CRAIG RAY

The task that awaits new Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee is even more mountainous than he might have imagined after Ireland secured a famous victory last night. The Irish displayed character and resilience after flank CJ Stander was red-carded for a sickening collision on Bok flyhalf Pat Lambie that left the pivot hospitalised in the 23rd-minute.Coetzee is the first Bok coach in the post-isolation era to lose his first test since John Williams led the Boks on their first match since readmission against the All Blacks in 1992.story_article_left1It was also Ireland's first victory in South Africa in their eighth attempt and the three-match series is now on a knife's edge for the home team.Coetzee promised a new dawn in South African rugby and he was true to his word by selecting one of the most racially transformed Bok teams in history for yesterday's clash.But his revolution is clearly going to have to encompass more than the racial demographics of the team. He will have to focus on why South Africa's attack is so blunt.Yesterday his side fashioned numerous try-scoring chances only to butcher them with poor option-taking and lack of composure.Even when Ireland were down to 13-men after centre Robbie Henshaw was sin-binned for a high and dangerous tackle on flyhalf Elton Jantjies, the Boks looked lost on attack.Instead of straightening and simply drawing and passing to use their numerical advantage, the Boks drifted and allowed Ireland the use of the touchline as an extra defender.There was almost zero tactical kicking in behind and once Francois Louw was withdrawn on the hour, the Boks lost the breakdown battle in the crucial final quarter.block_quotes_start He knows where to find problems. All he has to do is come up with a way to fix them before next week block_quotes_endIreland of course played their part with heroic defending, composure and courage under fire when lesser teams would have folded. But they know that they played against a side still trying to find the attack rhythm.Jantjies' introduction, earlier than expected due to Lambie's misfortune, looked promising as he took the ball to the line and engaged defenders.There were signs of Coetzee's attacking vision, but they were sporadic and not sustained as the backline in particular struggled.There was too much emphasis on ball-in-hand and not enough variation in the attacking play - something that will obviously improve in time. But it's hard to recall one useful tactical kick in behind the pressing Irish defence.Coetzee will have to consider some of his personnel in the coming week. Wing JP Pietersen spent an afternoon running down blind alleys and looked out of sorts while centre Damian de Allende's poor Super Rugby form carried over into this match.The pack was clinical and provided enough ball and balance in the match to maintain the status quo for another week at least, but the back division needs some confidence.story_article_right2Lwazi Mvovo scored a fine try off a well-worked move but it was the only try the Boks constructed. The other try was through a Pieter-Steph du Toit intercept in the 69th-minute that gave the hosts a glimmer of hope.The Boks' composure was also questionable and for that captain Adriaan Strauss, the 57th man to do the job for the Boks, will have to take most of the blame.But picking over the bones of the Boks and ignoring Ireland's contribution would be doing the tourists a disservice. They were magnificent when they weren't being thuggish.Centre Luke Marshall was a ball of energy, scrumhalf Conor Murray, who scored a crucial try in the second half, was a general and captain Rory Best led with his head and heart.Ireland flyhalf Paddy Jackson's unerring boot yielded 13 points, including two crucial second-half penalties and a first-half drop-goal, ultimately the difference in the outcome.Fullback Jared Payne looked born for the position even though this was his first test start at the back and flank Jordi Murphy worked tirelessly in Stander's absence.It will be a week of soul-searching for Coetzee but at least he knows where to find problems. All he has to do is come up with a way to fix them before next week.SCORERSSpringboks - Tries: Lwazi Mvovo, Pieter-Steph du Toit.Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2).Penalties: Pat Lambie, Jantjies.Ireland - Tries: Jared Payne, Conor Murray.Conversions: Paddy Jackson (2).Penalties: Jackson (3).Drop-Goal: Jackson...

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