Bok coaching saga: What happens now?

Cape Town - This is a big week in the Springbok coaching career of Allister Coetzee, who has returned to South Africa with his job very much on the line. 

Coetzee's Boks won two from four on their northern hemisphere tour, with losses to Ireland and Wales leaving the national side with 11 wins from 25 (44%) in the two years that Coetzee has been in charge. 

The criticism has been brutal, with former players and pundits calling for the coach to be sacked as the Boks look to turn things around in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. 

Widespread reports suggest that Coetzee will be axed, but any such decision cannot be taken before the Executive Council meets on Thursday. 

With SA Rugby's constitutional changes that came into practice last year, the appointment of the Springbok coach is now down to the Executive Council, and not the General Council, which consists of the country's union representatives. 

What it effectively means is that SA Rugby can take an Executive decision on the coach without having to get the buy-in from the General Council first. 

Coetzee will present his annual report to SA Rugby where he will explain the results delivered this year and then map out the way forward. 

It will then be up to the SA Rugby Executive Council to decide what the next move is. 

While those discussions will start this week, and announcement on the decision is not expected until mid-December. 

Rassie Erasmus, meanwhile, has started his role as the Springboks' Director of Rugby, but what his exact role with the team will be remains to be seen.