Uncategorized

Springboks coaching guru lands new gig with national team


SA Rugby has confirmed key changes to the coaching line-up of its national teams in a bid to emulate the success enjoyed by the Springboks. 

Experienced former Springbok coaching consultant Swys de Bruin has been appointed to coach the Springbok Women, while Bafana Nhleko has been redeployed from the SA U20s to the senior women’s fifteens team.

HERALDING IN A NEW ERA

Rian Oberholzer, SA Rugby’s CEO, said the changes were part of the restructuring process of SA Rugby’s High-Performance Department as they aim to achieve specific targets as part of a four-year strategic plan.

“We have obviously targeted winning the Rugby World Cup in 2027 for the Springboks, but we also have goals for other national teams,” said Oberholzer.

“We expect to see the Springbok Women to climb the world rankings to be in the top eight, and the Blitzboks to consistently medal at major events.”

De Bruin has been appointed as Performance Coach in a new-look Springbok Women coaching team, until the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England in September 2025, along with Nhleko, as well as current Springbok Women assistant coaches Franzel September and Lauren Johannes-Haupt.

The Springbok Women are currently ranked 12th in the world, while the Blitzboks only qualified for the Olympics through a repechage play-off.

ADDITION OF SPRINGBOKS GURU EXPLAIN

On De Bruin’s appointment and the redeployment of Nhleko, Oberholzer said: “We are investing in women’s rugby, not only at national level, but in the provincial structures too.

“With the forthcoming WXV 2 tournament and the participation in the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year, we are in a solid position to boost the growth of the game and with the experience and expertise Swys will bring to the coaching ranks, we can expect a boost in on-field performance as well.

“Bafana is an experienced coach and has been with us for more than six years and we feel it’s time to utilise his skills with a senior national team. We have high regard for him as a coach and conversations with him about a move to the women’s game started a while ago. He and Swys know each other well and we’re confident that, along with Laurian and Franzel, they will take our Springbok Women’s team forward.

Oberholzer added: “In feedback we received from within the local coaching ranks, a need for mentors was identified. Having been involved in top level coaching for decades, it’s something that comes naturally to Swys, and is a role he is keen to embrace and he will provide valuable guidance to Bafana, Laurian and Franzel.

“In a way, we are emulating what New Zealand did with Wayne Smith with the Black Ferns, where a key part of his job was to mentor the next generation of coaches. As a part of the restructuring process, more appointments will be made as we look to further invest in, support and develop our coaches.”

De Bruin’s last international involvement was as attack consultant with the Springboks in 2019 and before that, he earned universal respect coaching a variety of teams, including the Lions in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup.

The newlook Springbok women coaching team Laurian Johannes-Haupt, Swys de Bruin, Franzel September and Bafana Nhleko. Image: SA Rugby.





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *