Allister Coetzee believes South Africa can recover from slump in form

South Africa coach Allister Coetzee believes the Springboks can turn their fortunes around with a proper system in place after a dreadful year.

In the 11 matches they played this year, South Africa managed to win just four Tests with all of them coming at home after beating Ireland twice and a victory each against Australia and Argentina.

Their November Tests too have not gone as per the plan as after a draw against the Barbarians, they lost to England and Italy with the Azzurri's registering their maiden victory over the Springboks in the history of the game.

Following their 18-20 defeat to Italy, South Africa Rugby president Mark Alexander questioned the performance of the team and the results in a statement released by the board.

Alexander also emphasised that a review on the Springboks' recent performances will be conducted once they complete their final game of the year against Wales on Saturday.

Cotezee's role as a head coach has also come under heavy criticism from former South African players but the 53-year-old is confident of a turnaround.

"It's been a tough year and I can take responsibility for a lot of things. But I only got started in April and there are challenges in South African rugby that are unique to us.

"There's no excuse for the poor performance, but there are discussions happening and it is looking really positive.

"This is a great opportunity to address the problems and clean out the wounds. We need to diagnose and treat the symptoms of it.

"In the 21 years since our World Cup win in 1995 we've only had four good years, and if we continue what we've been doing you're not going to see any different result.

"We've got this chance to make South African rugby come first and become aligned. There has to be a South African way of playing and that is starting to come around.

"There's a lot of dark clouds, but the silver lining is there I believe."

When asked about his own future, Coetzee expressed his desire to continue with the Springboks if he is allowed to and is hopeful of finishing the tour with a win over Wales.

"I have signed a four-year contract and I'll do my best to make sure we perform this weekend.

"Whatever happens, happens. But I've got a four-year deal and we want to end this tour on a good note.

"I can promise you this weekend is going to be a physical battle decided by small margins.

"South Africa and Wales are two very passionate rugby countries and nationals coaches have a massive responsibility on their shoulders.

"I don't know about the (criticism of the) Welsh, but I do know they are a quality Test side."