Johannesburg – The Lions’ Andries Coetzee accepted full responsibility for his error in the last seconds of their United Rugby Championship match against Ulster last weekend, and vowed to never again let his teammates down in such a manner.
With minus-three minutes remaining and behind the Ulstermen 39-37, the final score, the Lions gained a critical penalty in their own half. The Springbok fullback went up with the intention of utilizing his big left boot to attempt a kick with maximum distance, only to utterly miss touch.
Ulster, in desperation, kicked the ball into touch closer to the halfway point. Although Coetzee’s error was inexcusable, he is not solely to blame.
From the subsequent lineout, which presented the Lions with a final opportunity to steal a victory, their forwards committed another egregious error by failing to win their own throw-in and instead knocking the ball on, allowing an Ulster scrum to settle the match.
After an Ulster blitz each side of halftime had put the hosts to the sword, and a 34-18 disadvantage, the Lions’ attempt at a spectacular comeback was thwarted by the visitors’ strong set-piece.
“It’s one of those things you just have to accept,” Coetzee remarked.
“We don’t really discuss it (between coaches and players) since you’re basically required to do it” (and get it right). It was a simple blunder, but it may have lost us the opportunity to score towards the conclusion of the game.
“That reflected poorly on myself. I would say that I am my own worst critic, and it is an aspect that must be perfected. You must first master the fundamentals, and then the X-factor will follow.
“That was one of my mistakes, and I must accept responsibility for it. It is in the past, and I must go on. When you drop the boys on a kick like that, it is with a sad heart, and I will make sure it never happens again.”
Despite the gaffe, Coetzee has had a strong season since his return to the union with the Lions. He has been unafraid to assault the gainline on the counter, but he has a tendency to separate himself from his ball-carriers, while not off-loading as much as he should.
Despite these flaws, he has contributed a degree of composure to the backline.
The Lions and Coetzee will look to rebound this weekend when they visit the Glasgow Warriors at Ellis Park on Saturday.
@FreemanZAR