Coetzee: Transformation will make us stronger
The 52-year-old will not only have to turn the Springboks into a force once again, but will also have to make them a more racially representative team.
Under SARU's Strategic Transformation Plan, 50 percent of the team needs to be made up of players of colour by 2019.
Coetzee is embracing this challenge with open arms and used his time with the Stormers as an example of how transformation can work.
"It is not an issue for me," said Coetzee at his official unveiling as Springbok coach in Johannesburg on Monday.
"This is South Africa. For a national coach – he needs to understand that he is living in South Africa. I cannot come with the mentality that I am somewhere else. It is unique and I think that uniqueness will actually make us stronger.
"At the Stormers I had the same challenge. It is an exciting challenge. I selected players and they performed. They were merit-based selections and they really performed well – so much so that when I left we were still Currie Cup champs and we won the [South African] conference [in Super Rugby] with a well-transformed side.
"I really see it as a positive and something that all South Africans can support and be proud of their team."
South African Rugby Union President Oregan Hoskins said that the Stormers were leading the way in terms of transformation and singled out other teams in the country for not doing enough in terms of being more racially representative.
"It is common cause that some of our teams don't field the same number of black players like the Stormers do," said Hoskins.
"I think it is common knowledge that the Lions, Cheetahs, Sharks and the Bulls – in fact all of the teams are not up there with the Stormers. I think all of us as South Africans see that week in and week out.
"We are all behind those teams when we challenge them on transformation. It is not about making politically correct or incorrect statements."
While the process of transforming South Africa's rugby teams, provincial and national, will take time, SARU still has to make good on their agreement with the government on this issue.
"We signed an agreement with the Department of Sport and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC)," said SARU CEO Jurie Roux.
"It encompasses six dimensions and we get judged on all six dimensions. Two of those aspects are unfortunately the things that everybody focusses on and that is the Super Rugby teams and the Springbok team.
"We got a four-year agreement with the Minister [Fikile Mbalula]. He will either be very angry with us in a couple of weeks or very friendly depending on our results. We think that our results are good in the overall transformation process.
"Yes, we only focus on the players on the field, but that is the wrong thing to do. It is a very big plan and a very strategic plan so it's a route to 2019 and we know what the penalties are if we don't get there
"We will be judged every year and we will be told where we are and whether the people are satisfied."
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