South Africa - The State of the Nation

Fourie du Preez
Is there truth in the speculation in Pretoria that Fourie du Preez will be the new Bulls backline coach, or is it mere rumour? Pieter Rossouw will be returning from Pretoria to Cape Town at the end of the season – without a coaching contract, though that will surely change – and a story doing the rounds is that Fourie du Preez will join Victor Matfield in a rejigged Bulls coaching team in 2016. We shall have to wait and see.

Naka Drotske
The Cheetahs – and South African Rugby – owe Naka Drotske huge gratitude for his contribution as player, captain, and coach over many years, including being a World Cup-winning Springbok, Currie Cup and Super Rugby stalwart as a player and captain, and in recent years coach of the Cheetahs. There have been times when fingers have been pointed at the Cheetahs for porous defence and the number of points they’ve conceded, but considering the smaller player budget, lesser player pool in talent and depth, and more limited resources and facilities Drotske has had at his disposal, he deserves substantial credit for what he has achieved. How many of the coaches of bigger, wealthier Unions with rich resources would have made a success of the Cheetahs job, where many of the players Drotske and his assistant coaches have ‘developed’ have then been enticed to bigger Unions by more lucrative contracts? He’s performed great service, much to the benefit of the Cheetahs and SA Rugby.

Sharks
Yes, the Sharks did show more resilience and resolve against the Hurricanes in Round 13, but it was a weakened Hurricanes team, missing three key All Blacks from the combination which has put them top of the log, and in the end it was their eighth defeat. Have too many different voices been heard by the players? Has Gary Gold been given the authority to run the show as he deserves the opportunity to do?

Lions
Lions supporters are hoping that after the team’s dramatic turnaround from struggling, losing team to dynamic, winning team in a short space of time against the Highlanders, their coaches Johan Ackermann and Swys de Bruin now know that the teamlist needs to include 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk.

Blitzbokke
There is much disappointment at the Sevens Springboks losing in the Glasgow quarter-finals. South African supporters are not shy to demand victory every time a team plays in a Bok jersey, and are already looking ahead optimistically to a Gold Medal for the Blitzbokke at the Rio Olympics. Every stumble along the way elicits strong fan frustration.