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CAPE TOWN. — Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says he warned Allister Coetzee that he was set up to fail by South Africa Rugby as national coach. This comes after it was announced yesterday that SA Rugby and Coetzee’s had parted ways. Last weekend, it emerged that Coetzee had hit out at his employers in a letter addressed to SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

Coetzee sent a 19-page document via his legal representatives to Roux in a bid to show that almost all of the problems during his two-year tenure were due to external factors. The former Stormers coach was not happy with the support he received from SA Rugby and expressed his dismay at the appointment of Rassie Erasmus as SA Rugby’s director of rugby.

Coetzee also said it was “shocking” that he was being used as a “ceremonial” coach that must report to Erasmus, who Coetzee “with respect” described as “less competent”. De Villiers, who coached the Springboks between 2008 and 2012, told EWN Sport that he had warned Coetzee that he was being set up to fail.

“He was forced out of his job, because people didn’t give him the support he needed so much to be successful. It happened to me and I told him that it would happen to him too.”

De Villiers claimed that during his tenure there was another coach “on stand-by” in case he didn’t make the grade. Having originally been appointed for a four-year contract, Coetzee’s time at the helm lasted half of that – or 25 Tests in charge. Of those 25 matches, the Boks won 11, lost 12 and drew 2, which translates into a 44% win-record.

De Villiers, meanwhile, won 30 of the 48 Tests he took charge of (63%). During his tenure as national coach, De Villiers won five out of 11 Tests against the All Blacks – a better record than most Bok coaches in recent times.

Other notable achievements for De Villiers as coach was a Tri-Nations win in 2009, as well as a series win over the British and Irish Lions that same year. SA Rugby announced yesterday that it had reached an agreement with Coetzee to part ways with immediate effect.

The rugby department of SA Rugby will manage the responsibilities of the Springbok coach, until the national team’s coaching and management group for 2018 is confirmed later this month. — Sport24