Springbok coach Harry Viljoen acknowledges the need to win matches whilst building for the 2003 World Cup, but says as a coach he should be prepared to adapt and change his thinking.

In his latest column for Sarfu's official website, sarugby.net, Viljoen discusses his selection process for the Springboks end-of-year tour to the United Kingdom and the United States. He says a year ago he was accused of being a romantic in his selections. Now people accuse him of being too conservative.

However, Viljoen vows to continue to look and adjust his thinking as he goes along. "I don't view it as a contradiction, but more as an acknowledgement that while you may think you have the answers one month, the next month provides you with a new question and another challenge," writes Viljoen.

"As a Bok coach I accept the criticism will always be there. When I picked Jantjes and Van Niekerk there was outrage. Subsequently, both made an impact on the international stage. When I included Van Biljon ahead of the experience of James Dalton there was a lot of criticism. Van Biljon vindicated his selection and when I opted for a Matfield few were prepared to acknowledge Matfield's worth.

"Bob Skinstad's taking over of the captaincy also evoked an emotional response, but the same critics have applauded Andre Vos' contribution as a flank, while belatedly acknowledging Bob's value as a No 8 and Test captain.

"The point I am making is that a coach has to trust his gut feel. These were decisions made on a gut feel and because of a strong belief in the player's ability."

Viljoen says he learned a lot during last year's European tour - among the things being that the player you take to play in England and France is not necessarily the same player you would take to battle against Australia, nor (for that matter) in the rugby friendly playing conditions of South Africa.

"In finalising the squad of 28 - and believe me there were some very tough decisions - I had to take quite a few factors into consideration - one of them being game time and also player development. With the luxury of a South African 'A' squad touring Europe, this also influenced the decision-making.

"I have placed a lot of emphasis on the 'A' tour and that is why such an experienced and strong squad was selected. It made more sense for me that certain players were guaranteed game time over a fortnight in the 'A' side, as opposed to making up squad numbers in the Boks.

"Experienced players like Corne Krige, Rassie Erasmus, Albert van den Berg and Toks van der Linde will at least be getting games. If they were not going to be in my match 22, then rather let them play in the 'A' side."

Viljoen disagrees with the criticism that his thinking has stagnated because of supposedly conservative selections. He says they are continuing to build in certain positions while they consolidated in others, most notably at flyhalf.

"I made a decision that Braam (van Straaten) will play at flyhalf in the Test against France and with us forced, through injury, to blood another new international center pairing, I felt it made more sense to go with the experience and consistency Braam provides than to experiment with a new flyhalf.

"I have recognised Chris Rossouw's contribution in this year's Currie Cup and I believe he has potential. However, I believe his play will be better tested in trying conditions against the likes of France 'A' and England than it would be if he was merely playing back-up to Braam in the Bok squad.

"There were some close calls for the end of year tour, but in the end I opted for the experience of a Mongtomery over the promise of Lombard and the experience of Pieter Rossouw over talented players like Wylie Human and Gavin Passens.

"This may seem like a contradiction when certain other selections are taken into consideration, and an argument will be made then why did I not opt for the experience of a Rassie and Corne over the youth of Danie Rossouw?

"The answer here is that I was looking for a new dynamic in the pack; hence the introduction of Rossouw and AJ Venter. I wanted more bulk, more height and a player I believed could give me go-forward," concludes the coach.