Johannesburg: Allister Coetzee stepped down as South Africa’s rugby coach on Friday following a string of poor results and a leaked letter in which he alleged that officials were undermining him.

SA Rugby said in a statement that “it had reached an agreement with Allister Coetzee to part ways with immediate effect”.

After only 11 victories in 25 Tests during two years guiding the Springboks, there had been increasing media speculation that the 54-year-old faced the sack.

In a recent leaked letter, the former inter-provincial scrum-half said his efforts to build a team capable of winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan were being severely hampered by officials.

The Springboks were also humiliated 57-15 by bitter rivals New Zealand in Durban, a record home loss.

Agence France-Presse