Michael Cheika won't be bullied into change as he attempts to revive the spluttering Wallabies before next year's World Cup.
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Australia slipped to a record low of seventh in the world rankings after last Saturday's loss to Argentina on the Gold Coast.
They sit bottom of the Rugby Championship ladder ahead of Saturday's clash with the Springboks in South Africa, where victory has alluded them since 2011.
Rugby Australia are reportedly considering appointing a former player such as George Gregan or John Eales as an independent voice to assist the head coach.
But Cheika denied any knowledge of that when asked for his opinion on arrival in Port Elizabeth, adding criticism of a coach's methods was par for course and shouldn't be a motivation for upheaval.
"Part of it is understanding when the right time is to move the dial, not to be too stubborn, and move the dial sometimes when things get to a certain situation," he said.
"You've got to understand exactly what it is that you need to move before you just move to appease others.
"There's a difference between moving to appease others and moving to actually get the outcome that you want."
Cheika referenced Collingwood's surprise AFL grand final berth, after finishing last season in 13th, in making his point.
"I think the year we won the European Cup with Leinster (in 2009), six months before everyone was saying 'you've got to give that guy (Cheika) the boot'," he said.
"They wanted to cut (Magpies coach) Nathan Buckley's head off last year didn't they and he's in a grand final this week. That's the way it goes.
"It's about who holds their nerve."
The coach said memories of the Gold Coast humbling hadn't scarred them but they all knew they had to improve.
"I agree totally that we are inconsistent," he said.
"Sometimes it doesn't go right, does it? You can't cry about it.
"I know everyone loves to look back because you can pick the bones out of that, whether it's positive or negative.
"The real art is to look forward because that's all that counts - that next game."
The clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be the Wallabies' first in the southern coastal city since 1963.
Australian Associated Press
