There's a disturbing pattern in the behaviour of Springbok supporters that has been in place as long as I've been watching rugby: whenever things go wrong, we blame the coach.
There's a disturbing pattern in the behaviour of Springbok supporters that has been in place as long as I've been watching rugby: whenever things go wrong, we blame the coach.
In 2006, South Africa endured a nightmare of a year. The lowest point came when the Boks were thrashed 49-0 by Australia. Jake White was public enemy number one in the country. According to him, there was even a point in his tenure at which his son was victimised at school as a result of the Springboks' dreadful form.
When White was replaced by Peter de Villiers after winning the 2007 World Cup, nobody could believe it. "How could this happen," asked the Springbok fans. "How could anyone be stupid enough to want Jake White out?"
Peter de Villiers never truly won the South African public over. Although he won the 2009 Tri-Nations – and praise from his captain, John Smit, in the hooker's autobiography – de Villiers was seen by many as a token coach of colour. From the beginning, the Springbok supporters really wanted Heyneke Meyer.
Meyer eventually replaced de Villiers after the Springboks' quarter-final exit at the 2011 World Cup. At first, all seemed well on the results front. The only team that consistently outperformed South Africa between 2012 and 2014 was New Zealand – and this was a truly special All Black side.
However, Meyer always came under scrutiny from the public for not meeting their expectations regarding transformation. Tensions reached a height last year, when he picked just eight players of colour in his 31-man World Cup squad.
To make things worse, performances on the field had taken a turn for the worse. The Boks lost to Ireland and Argentina in the months leading up to the World Cup – and then sensationally lost 34-32 to Japan at the tournament in England.
The public bayed for blood once again. Most supporters I interviewed for Grocott's Mail were dead certain that South Africa had no chance whatsoever of topping their group.
In the end, the Springboks did just that – and were only eliminated in the semi-finals, when they were edged 20-18 by the All Blacks – the same side that thrashed Australia 34-17 in the final.
When Allister Coetzee was appointed as coach without too many grumbles from Springbok fans – and picked a first team that left just about everybody fairly happy – my gut screamed that this meant trouble was on the horizon.
Lo and behold, the Boks were beaten 26-20 by Ireland at Newlands on Saturday – their first loss to the Irish on home soil.
Of course, now that results have gotten off to a bad start, many fans have either done a complete 180 on their views or come out of hiding.
"He achieved nothing at the Stormers," I saw one Springbok supporter say. (Seriously? Does nobody remember how rubbish the Stormers were before Coetzee? We Stormers fans certainly do!)
Former Springbok prop Ockie Oosthuizen even called for fans, shareholders, and sponsors to boycott the Springboks.
According to him, "politics still dominate the game" of rugby in South Africa. (Seriously, Ockie? Did you also call for boycotts of the Springbok teams you played in between 1981 and 1984 – during the height of apartheid?)
Coetzee's team announcement for the second test, in which he made just two changes to his starting XV – both enforced by injury – has only served to further infuriate the mob.
I am not going to bother defending Coetzee's ommission of Jaco Kriel from the side and Warren Whiteley from the starting lineup – but when have we Springbok fans ever agreed with the coach on team selection?
The consensus among coach and players after the first test was that we had lost because the team had failed to stick to the plan – which was to kick in behind the Irish.
The players have committed to ensuring that there was no repeat, so why can't we give Coetzee just one chance to use this defeat to spark them into action?
The coach is undoubtedly feeling enough pressure already, so why can we not just let him be?
Why, for once, can we not do what Springbok supporters are supposed to do and support the Springboks, rather than cranking up the pressure?
