South Africa sack Allister Coetzee after 21 months as head coach

Allister Coetzee has been dismissed as head coach of South Africa after less than two years at the helm.

Since replacing Heyneke Meyer as coach in April 2016, South Africa have twice finished third in The Rugby Championship, behind back-to-back winners New Zealand and Australia.

Coetzee, 54, said in a statement: "I have always held Springbok rugby dear to my heart and will continue to do so and for that reason I think now is the time the team and me strike out in new directions.

"I wish Springbok rugby every success in the future - as I have always done."

During Coetzee's time in charge, the Springboks have lost all four encounters with the All Blacks - twice conceding over 50 points - while beating the Aussies just once in an identical number of fixtures.

Jurie Roux, the chief executive officer of SA Rugby, said: "First and foremost we had to assess what is in the best interests of the Springboks.

"We'd like to thank Allister for his passion and dedication to the Springbok cause and wish him every success in his next role."

A new coach will be named in February and is expected to be Rassie Erasmus, who was recently appointed South Africa's director of rugby.

In a recent leaked letter, the former inter-provincial scrum-half said his efforts to build a team capable of winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan were being severely hampered by officials.

In the letter to SA Rugby, Coetzee angrily alleged that officials "embarked on a deliberate attempt to undermine me from the word go.

"(This) creates a public impression of incompetence on my part while wilfully obstructing my efforts to be successful," he wrote. "I will fight to protect my hard-earned reputation."

South Africa lost a calendar-year record eight Tests, including at home to Ireland, away to Argentina and to Italy for the first time.

The Springboks were also humiliated 57-15 by bitter rivals New Zealand in Durban, a record home loss.