SA Rugby line up former Springbok as Rassie Erasmus successor – report
Springboks Women's coach Louis Koen.
South African Rugby has reportedly lined up former Springboks fly-half Louis Koen as one of the leading candidates to fill the responsibilities of the director of rugby role.
The director of rugby responsibilities has been left open after Rassie Erasmus moved back to head coach of the Springboks as part of a coaching shuffle for the next Rugby World Cup.
New role
Chief executive of SA Rugby Rian Oberholzer revealed that the director of rugby position itself will fall away with a new role being ‘head of rugby’ that will take over some of the responsibilities of Erasmus’ former position.
According to the Rapport, the head of rugby would work with coaches from other national teams to foster a universal “Springbok way” across all the teams.
Koen, who is head coach of the Springboks Women, is believed to be a strong candidate due to his past experience as Sa Rugby’s high-performance manager.
READ MORE: Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks staff unveiled: Duane Vermeulen, ex-All Black and Ireland stars included
Coaching changes
Erasmus’s move back to the hot seat was not the only change in the coaching set-up, with former All-Black Tony Brown as the new attack coach and former Ireland international Jerry Flanerry, who will take over the defence of the world champions. Those appointments come after the departures of Felix Jones to England and Jacques Nienaber to Leinster.
🇿🇦 @jerryflannery 🤝 @Springboks
“I’m proud that I’ve got the opportunity but I think you have to give credit to what the players put on the field.” 💭#COYQ pic.twitter.com/BGXIm1Z8SK
— Harlequins 🃏 (@Harlequins) February 25, 2024
The new appointments did not stop there, with recently retired referee Jaco Peyper joining the Springboks as the national law advisor, whilst former Springboks Duane Vermeulen joined the mobi-coaching unit as a roving coach.
Nigel Owens: The ‘crucial’ thing Jaco Peyper will add to the Springboks
Erasmus’ second stint at the helm of the Springboks begins with a Qatar Cup clash at Twickenham against Wales at the end of June. The clash is outside of the Test window, so only locally-based players will be available for selection. Interestingly, the game clashes with the United Rugby Championship final, which could also influence selection if any of the local teams make it that far, meaning that an experimental side will likely be fielded.
That is followed by two mammoth clashes against Ireland in South Africa before a historic Test against Portugal to complete the mid-year Test window. Erasmus’ men then take on the Rugby Championship beginning in August.
Springboks 2024 fixtures
Saturday, June 22: South Africa v Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Saturday, July 6: South Africa v Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, July 13: South Africa v Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, July 20: South Africa v Portugal (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, August 31: South Africa v New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, September 7: South Africa v New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 28: South Africa v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)