7:30 PM kick-offs come with pluses and minuses, but I hope for your sake you also started drinking early on Saturday.

The Boks turned in another shambolic performance against a well-drilled Irish team, and whilst no one gets off scot-free it’s our backline that looks the least equipped for the rigours of international rugby.

Pick any position from scrummie through to 15, and you have someone who looked out of their depth.

The 38-3 drubbing brings with it another set of unwanted records, something Coeztee and his chargers have made a habit of.

You can tick off  the most points ever conceded against Ireland – home or away – in 111 years (38), and add the biggest margin of defeat – 35 – for good measure.

Coetzee’s record now stands at played 22, won nine, lost 11, drawn two for a win percentage of 41% – yes, far and away the worst for any coach who has racked up 22 matches or more.

Here’s the good news – apparently his days are numbered. Sunday Times spoke to some ‘inside sources’:

Allister Coetzee’s remaining time as Springbok coach can be counted in weeks‚ not months‚ after the Boks slumped to a record 38-3 loss against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Inside sources revealed that SA Rugby president Mark Alexander had a heated exchange with Coetzee in the immediate aftermath of the Dublin debacle‚ reminiscent of scenes after the Boks lost to Italy in Florence in 2016.

SA Rugby’s executive committee is set to meet in early December where Coetzee’s contract will be terminated following two seasons of disastrous results.

It is understood that some thought had been given to recalling Coetzee immediately following the latest embarrassment‚ but that plan has been shelved in favour of a formal dismissal process.

Will be terminated – I sure do like the sound of that.

In case you missed the fiasco, here’s something to bear in mind:

Seldom have the Boks delivered such a passive‚ tepid display. What they lacked in skill and tactical nous‚ they couldn’t even make up in aggression and physicality.

Tactically‚ technically and emotionally‚ the Boks offered nothing. They looked like a team going through the motions and the players’ performances bordered on mutinous.

I mentioned a backline that looks completely out of its depth, and the Bok ratings from Sport24 reflect that.

A few of those below:

Damian de Allende: 3

If he’s going to be remembered for just one thing (and there was little else) in this Test, it was his horrendously poor decision to kick ahead – and badly – with a promising, generous overlap waiting to be exploited in first half. Things didn’t get much better for a man who is an abject shadow of his former self.

Courtnall Skosan: 3.5

If he’s been a “bastion” this year, it’s mostly been of mediocrity … and I’m afraid he even fell well short of that level in Dublin with a noticeably brittle display defensively. Weakness under the high bomb came home to roost; badly beaten to the one that opened Irish try count.

Elton Jantjies: 4.5

Little that was too glaringly wrong … but just such a callow-looking figure again in a spot that requires a reassuring “general”. He is 27 and has 21 caps, but you might have thought he was a nervous first- or second-capper here. Not an ideal northern-hemisphere pivot, and it showed.

Ross Cronje: 4

Ouch … harrowing outing against big, wily opposite number Conor Murray. Tactical kicking near-awful: tended to either undercook or overdo them, and on this showing Boks will need to reconsider the nine shirt. Had a decent dart through midfield.

No one makes it through those ratings unscathed, although Pieter-Steph du Toit lands a respectable six.

Assuming those sources are correct and Coetzee does get the sack, it means we have three more games of his tenure.

Next up is the French on Saturday, with SuperSport crossing over at 9:45PM, before we play Italy and end in Wales.

I’d suggest getting on the juice early this weekend.

[sources:timeslive&sport24]