Coetzee rules out Bok job
Allister Coetzee has officially ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Springbok coaching job.
Coetzee was, at one stage, believed to be in a three-horse race with Bulls mentor Heyneke Meyer and Ireland forwards coach Gert Smal for the Bok position, but has instead chosen to give the Stormers his full attention.
“[I am] definitely not involved or in the run for the Bok job… and I’m sure whoever gets the job would be a good candidate,” Coetzee told EWN Sport.
However, the former Springbok backline coach did not rule out the possibility of one day being in charge of his country’s national team, adding: “Every coach aspires to get involved at national level.
“I’ve been involved there, [but] if it’s not your time, it’s not your time. You just have to keep slogging on and do well where you are.”
Aside from Coetzee’s admission on Wednesday, rumours also began circulating that Peter de Villiers could be kept on as a caretaker coach for a six-month period as part of a succession plan.
This would mean De Villiers coaching the Boks during the series against England (which could see him pitted against Nick Mallett – favoured by many to take on the England role after the Six Nations), and the new coach taking the reins just before the inaugural Rugby Championship later in the year.
However, that such a scenario seems unlikely after De Villiers was left “disappointed” by a meeting with SARU CEO Jurie Roux earlier this week.
De Villiers told daily South African newspaper, The Times: “I met Jurie on Monday but I wasn’t really sure if it was a formal interview.
“It was clear that it was a meeting-interview that he needed to go through as part of the legal procedure. It was fairly obvious that they were looking at other options.
“I’m not angry, but I’m disappointed because I expected to sit down with SARU after the World Cup and have a discussion about my future.
“That never happened and this was the first formal meeting we’ve had,” he revealed.
“The one-month extension of my contract has cut off my legs in a way because it gave me hope and also stopped me from pursuing some other options.”
Earlier, on Wednesday, media reports emanating from Ireland suggested that Gert Smal would be staying on as Ireland’s forwards coach in a move that would leave the Bulls’ Heyneke Meyer as the sole favourite for the Springbok coaching job; especially in the light of Coetzee’s confirmation that was out of the race to take over from De Villiers.
SARU are set to unveil the new Bok coach on Friday, January 27, after an extraordinary meeting of the union’s general council.
Until then, SARU will not be commenting on the position or any speculation surrounding the potential candidates.
