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'First of its kind in SA': Erasmus visits black coaches initiative
Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has hailed a new initiative that is fast-tracking the development of elite black rugby coaches in South Africa. A total of 101 nominations were received from the country’s provincial unions late last year to take part in a programme that is fully funded by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).
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After an intense review and interview process, the group was narrowed down to 32, with 18 of them being hand-picked for the inaugural year of the programme in 2022. Participants include SA women’s U20 coach and Western Province women’s head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt, SA sevens academy head coach Sandile Ngcobo, Bulls defence coach Joey Mongalo, as well as Stormers and Sharks skills coaches Labeeb Levy and Phiwe Nomlomo.
The other 14 coaches, meanwhile, have been participating in a development programme which includes working with an industrial psychologist to equip them to follow in the footsteps of their counterparts in future.
Erasmus and Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber presented the latest masterclass last week in the series of course sessions presented to the participants in the past few months.
Erasmus said: “Over the years we have seen a number of black coaches with the potential fail to receive opportunities to coach at the highest level, which includes the Carling Currie Cup and Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and unfortunately very few have made their way through the ranks.
“This triggered the need to take this process out of the hands of the franchises and take action as SA Rugby. This is the first of its kind in South Africa, so we know it will take hard work behind the scenes and that we will have to learn and adapt along the way. But it was vital to create a system that allows us to simulate that high-pressure coaching environment and bridge the gap to speed up the process where our most talented black, up-and-coming coaches can advance to the top rugby structures at the elite level of the game.
“It was an absolute pleasure for Jacques and I to present a coaching class to close to 100 participants last week and I must admit, it has been enlightening to learn from their experiences as well. The coaches who are not part of the final 15 have still been involved in the programme albeit via a different path, but this is a very exciting initiative and we have a very competent team which includes our Springboks and Springboks women’s coaches who have been involved hands-on throughout the programme.”
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SA Rugby president Mark Alexander added: “This programme marks a big step for SA Rugby to fast-track the development of our top up-and-coming black coaches and to achieve our coaching transformation goals. Our vision with this custom-made SA Rugby programme has been to bolster the standing of these coaches within the high-performance structures throughout the country with an eye on equipping them to coach at provincial and international level.
“The process to select the final group of 18 coaches was rigorous and an intense few months of learning has been planned for them. Each one of these individuals showed that they have the potential to become elite coaches.”
A statement read: “The objectives of the coaching programme include developing them to flourish in high-performance and high-pressure environments. It includes vital factors such as personal mastery, situational competence and dexterity, building mental strength and building media competence in an environment with numerous simultaneous challenges. The course runs until December.”
SA Rugby Elite coaching development participants:
Paul Delport – Springbok Women’s Sevens coach
Henley du Plessis – Toyota Free State Under-20 coach
Etienne Fynn – Cell C Sharks Carling Currie Cup coach
Laurian Johannes-Haupt – DHL Western Province Women’s and SA Women’s U20 coach
Norman Jordaan – Maties FNB Varsity Cup coach
Lungisa Kama – Springbok Women’s assistant coach
Wilbur Kraak – DHL Western Province club consultant
Labeeb Levy – DHL Stormers skills coach Vodacom United Rugby Championship
David Manuel – Madibaz FNB Varsity Cup coach
Jonathan Mokuena – University of Johannesburg (UJ) FNB Varsity Cup coach
Joey Mongalo – Vodacom Bulls defence coach Vodacom United Rugby Championship
Eddie Myners – Springbok Women’s assistant coach
Sandile Ngcobo – SA Rugby Sevens Academy head coach
Phiwe Nomlomo – Cell C Sharks skills coach Vodacom United Rugby Championship
Jason Oliphant – University of KwaZulu-Natal FNB Varsity Cup coach
Lance Sendin – SA Schools coach
Franzel September – Boland Cavaliers Carling Currie Cup coach
Hanyani Shimange – DHL Stormers scrum consultant Vodacom United Rugby Championship
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Comments on RugbyPass
Jordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
38 Go to comments