Boks showed great character – Coetzee

The Springboks were once again tested for the full 80 minutes but managed to hold on for a 19-13 win over Ireland in the series-deciding Test in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night.

Victory caps off a successful start to life under the tutelage of Coetzee and the coach will be relieved to know that his charges are willing to get their hands dirty to win Test matches.

After what was a seriously concerning and disappointing loss to Ireland in the first Test, the Boks had to hit their straps to figure out how to beat an Irish side that showed no lack of pride and hunger.

Ruan Combrinck inspired the Boks to victory in the second Test, while a far more collective effort was responsible for winning the final Test.

Coetzee, relieved with the result, tipped his hat to Ireland and their fierce spirit throughout the series.

“Don’t underestimate how badly the Irish wanted this series. They’re a quality side, they came for us and let it slip at Ellis Park. Tonight, they were up for it, they wanted to keep us in a dog fight and we responded well. Looking at our performance, this is an immense win for us and immense to take the series,” the Springbok coach said.

The last three weeks have been particularly trying in terms of attitude, as a number of players were introduced to the rigours of Test match rugby. In that regard, Coetzee was happy that new players showed massive desire to play for the Springbok jersey.

“It’s important to note that we started the series with a loss, and then we made a comeback after being 19-3 down at Ellis Park. We were down a yellow card tonight and they scored within those 10 minutes,” Coetzee said.

“In the 77^th minute we had to defend our line. This is a team that has been together for three or four weeks and they were really put us to the test. I’m really that a young group of players have shown resilience and character like that.

“I know it wasn’t pretty rugby but it was proper Test match rugby. You’ve got to be able to fight in the trenches and still pull off a win, that’s what matters. There are still a lot of things to work on but I’m happy in the sense that we have won and young players have gotten their Test caps and deservedly so,” Coetzee said.

Strauss retains captaincy for 2016

The Test series win was also special for captain Adriaan Strauss. Under trying conditions, he led the team to victory and Coetzee has named him skipper for the rest of the year.

Strauss was particularly pleased by the way his teammates had improved on the technical aspects of their game as the series went on.

“I think we definitely have progressed. There is still a lot to work on, like coach said technically and tactically we can still be better but it’s good to come out of this Test series with a 2-1 win. Of course there are stages that we would have wanted to go differently, the first game especially,” Strauss said.

“It was a tough series against the Irish and we shouldn’t underestimate them. They came out firing tonight and I’m just proud of how we’ve stepped up, I think every week has just gotten better.”

Newly-blooded Springboks

Coetzee managed to blood a number of new Springboks in the series. Ruan Combrinck, Franco Mostert, Julian Redlinghuys, Jaco Kriel, Bongi Mbonambi and Steven Kitshoff all got their first caps over the past three weeks.

All six players stepped up to the plate for well-deserved debuts and in some instances their influence changed the outcome of the match. While Combrinck was the talk of the town last week, Kriel’s debut was far longer in the making.

The Lions flank, unsurprisingly, described it as the best moment of his life, having been involved in camps but going uncapped by the Springboks last year.

“This was probably the best 20 minutes of my life even though I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to run with the ball. For me, going back to the Lions on Monday, the hard work really starts because sides will start to target you and analyse your game. The hard work starts now to keep up my performances,” Kriel said.

 

Attention now reverts back to Super Rugby - while the Rugby Championships loom in August.

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