Rugby’s grapevine is nothing if not verdant.

Here’s how it goes: Allister Coetzee to get the big gig with Rassie Erasmus and Johan van Graan on board as assistants.

Coetzee is the name already out there. Nothing, short of him giving up a job he has long coveted, will stop the inevitable. He’s experienced and he understands the culture of South African rugby, which is combustible and weird at the best of times. He knows precisely who to doff his cap to.

Erasmus is less clearcut. As flamboyant as he was as a player, he’s a coach who prefers to fly under the radar. He had a full box of tricks at the Cheetahs a few years ago and was disappointed when the spotlight swung his way. These days he is in charge of the national body’s “rugby department”, which is to say he keeps an eye on all things coaching.

It’s a job well away from the public eye, which you suspect is just how he likes it.

Van Graan is the bolter, although if you know the relationship he enjoys with senior players and the respect they have for him, it’s not so much left-field.

He’s tinkered behind the scenes for years with the Boks and his name was floated for the Stormers job. He works hard and is definitely a bloke on the rise.

The name missing from the mix is an international one. What everyone agrees on is that the SA game lacks imagination and creativity. We need an outsider for perspective and fresh ideas. It’s been tried before with Eddie Jones, Les Kiss, Tim Lane and Richie Gray.

It wouldn’t hurt to draw someone of this ilk closer, giving him free rein to be bold and edventurous. Stampkar rugby has had its day and the local game needs to embrace new thinking and a new game.