Former England coach Stuart Lancaster key to progress, says Allister Coetzee
Thursday 10 November 2016 19:13, UK
Eddie Jones has created an "unstoppable" England team but cannot claim all the credit for their recent success, according to South Africa head coach Allister Coetzee.
Coetzee believes former England boss Stuart Lancaster has also had a hand in England's superb run of form, which has included nine wins out of nine under Jones this year.
England now turn their attention to the autumn internationals and their opening opponents the Springboks, who they host at Twickenham on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Coetzee describes Jones as a " flipping hard-working coach", having worked with the Australian during the Springboks' World Cup winning campaign in 2007, but he adds that Lancaster's role in laying a strong foundation for England should not be forgotten.
"I must also not take any credit away from Stuart Lancaster," said Coetzee.
"The big thing about Test rugby is it's about players being given opportunities and then making mistakes. They made mistakes under Stuart but they got the exposure there. That helped.
"Take nothing away from Eddie, he understood the profile of the team and where they are, he changed captains, he hit the right buttons and that's why they got the belief back.
"It's funny, a team with confidence is a good team. It doesn't matter about talent, if they ooze confidence and there is that cohesion and synergy then it is an unstoppable team.
"That's where England are at the moment, they have that self-belief."
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While England have regrouped quickly since their humiliating World Cup exit a year ago, South Africa's rebuilding process has been far from smooth.
They were thrashed 57-15 by New Zealand - their heaviest ever defeat at home - in the Rugby Championship last month, ending a tournament that yielded just two wins from six.
Coetzee, who succeeded Heyneke Meyer in April, is calling for patience.
"We lost six or seven players [after the World Cup] with all their knowledge and experience in crucial positions," Coetzee added. "To replace that will take time.
"There's always stuff after World Cups - reshuffles in management, leadership, in the team and culture, and player personnel.
"Obviously you never get it right just like that. A mindset change isn't just one training session, it will always take time."
Watch England v South Africa on Saturday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 1 HD at 2pm.
