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Coetzee, assistant and nine players leave Canon Eagles as reports name successor
By Online Editors
Japanese club Canon Eagles confirmed that Allister Coetzee has left his role as head coach. Coetzee was in charge of Canon since 2018 after he was sacked as Springbok head coach. The club also confirmed that Coetzee’s assistant Barend Pieterse has also left.
Meanwhile, nine players will also be leaving the club. Two of those players are South Africans Fred Zeilinga and Rynier Bernardo.
With Coetzee in charge, Canon finished 12th in the 16-team Top League tournament in the 2018/2019 season. Before the 2019/2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canon were sitting in ninth spot.
According to reports, former Suntory Sungoliath coach Keisuke Sawaki will take over as head coach at the Eagles. The former Japan flyhalf led the Suntory to back to back Top League titles before stepping down following the 2018-19 season.
Coetzee left the Springboks under a cloud in 2018. He reportedly received 1.8 million Rand as a golden handshake of sorts from SARU. That amounts to roughly £106,000 or €120,000 euro.
The settlement comes after a heated saga played out between Coetzee and SARU over recent weeks. A letter which Coetzee sent to SARU was ‘leaked’ and the then Springbok coach accused the union of setting him up to fail and of using underhand tactics to oust him from his position.
Coetzee won just 44 per cent of his matches as Springbok coach.
Rugby 365, additional reporting RugbyPass
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Latest Comments
The way Ratima has been treated he needs to look OS. Same with Perofeta and Love, Hothem too. Razor is a token coach. Gives debuts but very few mins. Also DM too. Just go earn millions elsewhere DM as all you get in NZ is bagging.
BB is coaches favourite and I say let him have BB right thru to the next 2 or maybe even 3 World cups.😁😁 Have JB outside him at 12...That just works so well.
Go to commentsIt certainly needs to be cherished. Despite Nick (and you) highlighting their usefulness for teams like Australia (and obviously those in France they find form with) I (mention it general in those articles) say that I fear the game is just not setup in Aus and NZ to appreciate nor maximise their strengths. The French game should continue to be the destination of the biggest and most gifted athletes but it might improve elsewhere too.
I just have an idea it needs a whole team focus to make work. I also have an idea what the opposite applies with players in general. I feel like French backs and halves can be very small and quick, were as here everyone is made to fit in a model physique. Louis was some 10 and 20 kg smaller that his opposition and we just do not have that time of player in our game anymore. I'm dying out for a fast wing to appear on the All Blacks radar.
But I, and my thoughts on body size in particular, could be part of the same indoctrination that goes on with player physiques by the establishment in my parts (country).
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