Allister Coetzee has come to the defence of under-fire winger Raymond Rhule and says he won’t be discarded after just one poor game, writes CRAIG LEWIS in Bloemfontein.

Rhule has faced a large brunt of the criticism following the Springboks’ 57-0 thrashing at the hands of the All Blacks on 16 September, with the 24-year-old’s suspect defence having been exploited by New Zealand (he missed nine tackles).

There have been numerous calls from the media and public for Rhule to be dropped, but he was retained in the Bok squad for the final two Rugby Championship matches, while it now remains to be seen whether he will also keep his place in the starting lineup for this Saturday’s Test against the Wallabies.

Some speculation has suggested that Dillyn Leyds could be handed his starting debut on the right wing, but on Monday, Coetzee said he certainly wasn’t ready to write Rhule off.

‘Don’t forget how good Raymond was against Australia [in Perth]. I’m not a coach who will look at one poor performance and chuck someone away. He was outstanding against the Wallabies. There were a few areas where the All Blacks targeted us, but we will work on that and get better. In the seven Tests Raymond has played, he has gained a lot of experience, so now do I just throw him out and start all over again with a new player?’

While one might expect Rhule’s confidence to have been affected by his struggles against the All Blacks, Coetzee said the winger was mature enough to acknowledge where things went wrong and how he needed to improve.

‘It’s our job as coaches to ensure that the plan is simple, and that he understands his role and his job. We will help him to improve from the last game, and that’s our responsibility. Having said that, he was the first guy to text me and say: “I watched the game again and I could have been better here or there”. The big thing is about owning up and taking responsibility, which is what I enjoy about this group of players. All of us have to accept responsibility and it’s our duty to turn it around.’

Indeed, the abiding sentiment from the Boks’ first press conference of the week suggests that Coetzee won’t be panicked into making wholesale changes despite the historic loss to the All Blacks.

And with first-choice eighthman and regular captain Warren Whiteley still unavailable and only expected to be back for the end-of-year tour, Uzair Cassiem may well have an ongoing role to play at No 8.

‘I’m really pleased with him [Cassiem],’ Coetzee commented. ‘He might not be the No 8 that is always doing spectacular eye-catching things, but he does an enormous amount of work that often goes unnoticed. His work rate is exceptional, he plays towards the ball when there is no other flanker there to do it, he can pick-and-go and he targets the ball on the ground.

‘It’s not all flashy stuff, but he makes guys around him look good. He grafts hard and when he’s in the wider channels he can still pass and show off his running skills. He serves a really important purpose for us, and adds value at the lineouts, so I’m really happy with him at this point in time.’

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Photo: @Springboks/South African Rugby