SA Rugby coach Rassie Erasmus.
- The Springboks have announced major changes to their coaching staff, adding Duane Vermeulen and Jaco Peiper.
- Meanwhile, Rassie Erasmus has been signed as head coach until 2027.
- Other big additions are New Zealand's Tony Brown (attack) and Ireland's Gerry Flannery (defence).
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The Springboks announced major changes to their coaching team on Tuesday, with Rassie Erasmus officially signed on as head coach until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
With the departure of former head coach Jack Nienaber and attack coach Felix Jones, there is a new look at the coaching staff as the club prepares to win its third consecutive World Cup.
The big news outside of Erasmus is that Springbok legend Duane Vermeulen will be joining the club in a “rotating coaching role for all SA Rugby national teams”. He will now become the third member of the Mobi coaching unit, working alongside existing coaches Franzel September and Bafana Nhleko.
Meanwhile, the Springboks have also received an injection of international pedigree, with former All Blacks and Highlanders flyhalf Tony Brown joining as attack coach and Ireland's Gerry Flannery announced as new defense coach. I'm planning on doing it.
Jaco Peiper, who retired as an international referee this year, has been appointed as the Springboks' new legal advisor.
“Following his success with the team since 2018, we are delighted to announce that Rassie Erasmus will once again take over as head coach of the Springboks. “With continuity in the coaching structure and exciting additions, we are in good shape. “We are fully committed to our ultimate goal of scoring a hat-trick of World Cup wins,” SA Rugby chairman Mark Alexander said in a statement.
“Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery are both former internationals and bring great coaching experience and their skills will complement Mzwandir Stick, Deon Davids and Daan Human.
“It is also a great achievement to have world-class referee Jaco Peiper as part of the management team and to maintain his expertise in South African rugby, as understanding referees and their legal analysis is a great asset to the team. Because it's critical to success.”
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Alexander was also pleased with Vermeulen's appointment.
“Duane has great experience as a player and will bring that knowledge to other national team coaching teams, giving us insight into what it takes to become a champion team.” Told.
“It will also enable us to grow our own coaching base from within the Springbok fraternity as we look to the future.”
Springbok coaching team:
Rassie Erasmus – Head Coach
Mzwandir Stick – Assistant Coach
Deon Davids – Assistant Coach
Daan Human – Assistant Coach
Tony Brown – Assistant Coach
Jerry Flannery – Assistant Coach
Andy Edwards – Head of Athletic Performance
Meanwhile, Erasmus remains in hospital as he continues to recover from last week's freak accident in which he suffered severe chemical burns.
“It is a great honor to coach the Springboks and I am grateful for the confidence placed in me,” Erasmus said.
“The main difference between the last four years and this season is that we will be more hands-on in the field sessions.
“In my role as Director of Rugby over the past four years, I continued to work with Jack and the other coaches to oversee the structure and strategy of the team, so it should be easy for me to return to the head coach role.
“The first coaching sessions have already taken place at the hospital this week and it is great to see the enthusiasm of the coaches to get the season started.”
SA Rugby CEO Ryan Oberholtzer said the role of Director of Rugby would be “on hold” until “the restructuring of SA Rugby's rugby division to meet the high performance and participation needs of the evolving sport”. ”
The Springboks are scheduled to play their first test of the year against Ireland at Loftus on July 6.