Former England coach joins Rugby World Cup team’s preparations
Former England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot.
Former Springboks and England assistant coach Matt Proudfoot has joined Namibia as they continue preparations for the Rugby World Cup.
Proudfoot has linked up with Allister Coetzee at the national team, who he worked with during his time at the Stormers and Springboks.
Proudfoot role since leaving
The 51-year-old forwards coach was part of the Springboks’ 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning coaching staff but moved to England in 2020.
There he joined Eddie Jones‘ backroom staff and remained with the side until Steve Borthwick took charge late last year.
The former Scotland front-rower joined Jones in leaving the England set-up and returning to South Africa.
Earlier this year he was named as the Maties, University of Stellenbosch, head coach for the 2023 Varsity Cup season.
He guided Maties to the tournament’s semi-finals, winning four of their seven fixtures before falling to eventual winners NWU Eagles.
Earlier this month, Maties replaced Proudfoot as head coach and handed the reins to formers Blitzboks and Springboks forward Kabamba Floors.
Proudfoot has quickly moved on and has linked up with Namibia as they ramp up their preparations for the World Cup.
It is still being determined whether the former England assistant has joined Namibia’s coaching staff permanently, but he has been pictured at the team’s training camps and has a long working history with Coetzee.
Matt Proudfoot in training with Namibia. Credit: Namibia Rugby’s official Facebook page.
Namibia’s journey to the Rugby World Cup
Namibia head to South America for their Rugby World Cup preparations. They will face off against Argentina XV, Uruguay and Chile before arriving in France.
Coetzee took charge of Namibia in 2021, helping them secure Rugby World Cup qualification through the Rugby Africa Cup.
The Welwitschias cruised through the competition, hosted in the south of France, winning their quarter-final against Burkina Faso 71-5 before a 34-19 defeat of Zimbabwe in the last four.
They comfortably beat Kenya in the showpiece match, claiming a 36-0 victory to seal qualification.
Namibia will make their seventh Rugby World Cup appearance in France.
They have been drawn in Pool A, where they will face Italy, New Zealand, France and Uruguay.