South African Rugby has reportedly identified former Springbok flyhalf Louis Cohen as one of its favorite candidates for the role of Director of Rugby.
The director of rugby role remains vacant after Rassie Erasmus returned as Springbok head coach as part of a coaching shuffle ahead of the next Rugby World Cup.
new role
SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholtzer has revealed that the head of rugby will no longer be in office, and that he will be given a new role as 'Head of Rugby', taking over some of Erasmus' previous responsibilities. did.
by rapportthe head of rugby will work with other national team coaches to promote a universal 'Springbok way' across all teams.
Cohen, who is the head coach of the Springboks Women's team, is thought to be a strong candidate due to her past experience as a successful manager at SA Rugby.
read more: Rassie Erasmus' Springbok staff announced: also includes former All Blacks and Ireland star Duane Vermeulen
coaching changes
Erasmus' return to the hotseat is not the only change in the coaching staff, with former All Black Tony Brown appointed as new attack coach and former Ireland international Gerry Flannery taking over the world champions' defence. is what happened. These appointments were made following the departure of Felix Jones to England and Jack Nienaber to Leinster.
🇿🇦 @jerryflannery 🤝 @Springboks
“I'm proud to have had the opportunity, but I think we have to give credit to the players for what they showed on the field.” 💭#COYQ pic.twitter.com/BGXIm1Z8SK
— Harlequins 🃏 (@Harlequins) February 25, 2024
The new appointments don't stop there, with recently retired referee Jaco Peyper joining the Springboks as national legal advisor and former Springbok Duane Vermeulen joining the Mobi coaching unit as a traveling coach.
Nigel Owens: 'Important' thing Jaco Peyper will add to Springboks
Erasmus' second stint as Springbok manager begins with the Qatar Cup match against Wales at Twickenham at the end of June. This conflict is outside of the testing period, so only locally based players will be able to select it. Interestingly, this match coincides with the United Rugby Championship final, which could have an impact on selection if any of the local teams advance, with the possibility of an experimental team taking part. It means high quality.
There will then be two big clashes with Ireland in South Africa, followed by a historic test against Portugal to complete the mid-year testing period. Erasmus' men will then take on the Rugby Championship, which starts in August.
Springboks 2024 match schedule
Saturday June 22nd: South Africa vs Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Saturday, July 6th: South Africa v Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, July 13th: South Africa v Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, July 20th: South Africa vs Portugal (Bloemfontein Toyota Stadium)
Saturday, August 31st: South Africa v New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, September 7th: South Africa v New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 28th: South Africa v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
read more: Springboks: 8 takeaways from Rassie Erasmus' conditioning camp squad as World Cup winners embrace youth
