Springbok coach Allister Coetzee yesterday felt the need to subtly jump to the defence of his captain Adriaan Strauss. Not that Strauss needs defending just yet.The coach was running the rule over pockets of excellence from the series against Ireland, which the Springboks won 2-1, when he saw the opportunity to talk up his skipper."We only lost one line-out in the series. You can look up the stats. Adriaan's accuracy has been phenomenal."Against Ireland we had four left-footed kickers. We have a nice balance nowCoetzee was careful not to blow too much smoke for it might be interpreted as the start of something for which he will feel the heat. The arrival of Lions tyro Malcolm Marx to the Bok squad hasn't just brought renewed energy to the ranks, but his prospects as a future starting hooker have been enthusiastically talked up over the past few weeks.Marx brings explosiveness, while Strauss remains unflappably cool, no matter what the situation.Coetzee is not in a selection quandary just yet but the "wins" column is likely to provide guidance further down the line.For now, the coach wants his team to continue with their upward curve in the primary phases."I was pleased with the set piece, especially on our ball," he said about the series win against Ireland. "Except for one scrum, we were good."Tighthead prop Julian Redelinghuys underlined the importance of maintaining that trend."That is one area [Argentina] focus on quite heavily because they get a lot of energy if they win the scrum battle."While Redelinghuys was coy about his performances this season, Coetzee was quick to step in."I've been really happy with his progress. His primary job is to get the shoulder up and scrum well."But his workrate for a tighthead prop is the difference between average players and good players. He is a very hard working tighthead prop."While Redelinghuys is assured of a start on Saturday, in the absence of the injured Frans Malherbe, Coetzee needs to find a replacement for fullback Willie le Roux, who is playing in England.Yesterday he likened France-based Johan Goosen to Hurricanes talisman Beauden Barrett, perhaps the clearest sign yet of who he wants in the No15 jersey."I think we can improve our kicking game," said Coetzee, no doubt intimating that Goosen could be the much needed solution."In the first game against Ireland we had four left-footed kickers. We have a nice balance now."..