Stop squawking, Allister Coetzee is going nowhere.

It’s not his style and, besides, he’s the symptom of a creaking, outdated system that isn’t geared towards Springbok excellence. We all know this.

The enduring strength of South Africa’s players has disguised many of the problems; sporadic success in Super Rugby or a once-in-a-blue-moon win over the All Blacks has allowed us to fool ourselves.

The scaffolding around which SA rugby hangs itself is too unwieldy to dismantle overnight, or even over a few years. Things move slowly when committees are involved, so railing against the structures may make us feel better, but is a waste of time.

Many of the issues are deep-seated, like skills. Twenty years ago Nick Mallett was almost run out of town for suggesting that SA skills levels weren’t up to scratch. Yet he was right. With few exceptions, the schoolboy style is to bash and crash, to win at all costs. Little wonder gifted ball players like Bob Skinstad, Warren Whiteley or Cheslin Kolbe are such exceptions. No elite-level coach should have to work on skills, but they all do.

The Springboks are no longer the fittest or the biggest of teams – New Zealand and England are – so those attributes count for little when they aren’t matched by skills, which has been the case in recent years.

England coach Eddie Jones said last week that it was foolish to mimic the New Zealand style, a pattern suited to their physical and mental characteristics. We all swoon at the All Blacks, but any thought of emulating them at their game is indeed self-limiting.

SA coaches should rather plunder their philosophy which places a premium on fitness and the shrewd use of space. The All Blacks’ conditioning and skill sets allow them to adapt their game, and their pace, which has led to extraordinary dominance in recent years.

Their style is grounded in creating space and exploiting it. This requires skill and fitness, which they have in abundance. They can change on the hoof, too, adapting their tactics to suit the challenge. They did so in Durban last weekend, absorbing great heat in the first 20 minutes and then creating pressure through their formidable defence.

The fire went out of the Boks around the 70-minute mark and the All Blacks cranked up the pace to amplify their superiority. Out on their feet, the Boks were destroyed.

New Zealand were able to mangle SA because each player possesses consummate skills. Dane Coles, redefining the art of a hooker’s play, is a case in point. He can run, offload, dummy and jink like the best midfielder.

Brodie Retallick may look like a piano mover, but he’s a dab hand at playing it too, in a rugby sense.

The coaching indaba in Cape Town this week ought to go to the heart of this reality. The objective – “to ensure rugby excellence and continuous improvement to remain a top rugby-playing nation” – is jarring, but that’s the cold truth. The recent Bok performance trajectory reads like our sad currency: desperate and getting worse.

Succession planning also needs attention. With few exceptions, the passing of the Springbok coaching torch is a ham-fisted affair seldom unaffected by controversy or high drama. Any good created by his predecessor instantly evaporates and the new man must start from scratch.

The replacement of All Black coaches is seamless and embodies the functioning of the team itself. When Steve Hansen replaced Graham Henry, he was satisfied with the squad because he had helped create it. When Ian Foster takes over, as he surely will, he will have the same pleasant transition.

Not so with Coetzee. He inherited a squad largely not of his choosing (many of them contracted Springboks) and had to get on with it.

As the Boks lick their wounds, the aim for next month’s European tour must surely be damage limitation. The ship is too big to turn around in a few weeks, but the signs of looming change must be writ large. The coaching staff needs bolstering, a fit and hungry squad must be selected and there must be a nailing down of the shape and style the Boks should embrace.

Failure to do so will be catastrophic. – © Sunday Tribune