South AfricaThe South African Rugby Union (SARU) hosts a ground-breaking national coaching symposium in Stellenbosch later this month where ideas will be shared between coaches from junior provincial to Springbok level.

All provincial coaches have been invited to the symposium – an initiative of SARU’s High Performance Department – which will run from 27 to 31 January at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.

Seminars will be led by the three Springbok assistant coaches Johann van Graan, Ricardo Loubscher and John McFarland, as well as national coaching consultants Pieter de Villiers, Louis Koen and Chean Roux and SARU High Performance General Manager Rassie Erasmus and Willie Maree, SARU’s Technical Support Manager.

All facets of game play and preparation will be on the agenda as well as technical analysis.

“As far as we know, this is the first time we’ll host a national coaching symposium on this scale,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SARU.

“Our Springbok coaches will share their coaching philosophy and principles but we’ll also get feedback and see how our elite professional coaches can work together to improve our approach to the game on a nationwide scale.

“We’ve had a great response from the provinces to the initiative and have also invited the coaches of the four SARU Academies, established in 2012 in Border, Eastern Province, South Western Districts and Boland.”

The High Performance Department’s cooperation with the 14 provinces and the Super Rugby franchises will be stepped up in the coming months when members of the Springbok coaching team and SARU’s Mobi-Unit visit the provinces to work with the players on the training field.

“We’ve worked really closely together with the Super Rugby franchises and the provinces since last year, and it’s something we want to increase this season,” said Erasmus.

“We’ve extended invitations to all the provinces and franchises and will assist them wherever they require us. This will include the Springboks’ medical team, whose members are also available for assistance.

“I believe we have started reaping the rewards of closer cooperation between SARU and the provinces and that everyone can gain from working together. The Springbok coaches and the Mobi-Unit have put in a lot of very hard work for the benefit of rugby in South Africa and we’re very excited about the symposium and the coming months of working together.”

8 Responses to SARU to host National Coaching Symposium

  • 1

    About bloody time… it needs to happen often, a few times a year in fact, so that all coaches are on the same page… and so that it promotes everything of the best for the Springboks!

  • 2

    Wat is die mobi-unit?

  • 3

    @ grootblousmile:
    If we really think that an initiative such as this will “encourage” the provincial sides to all fall into a playing style the same as the National side(s), I think we are all (including SARU) sadly mistaken.

    Where is the incentive for a team to such as Free State to throw away their “unique” playing style and suddenly start playing a forward dominated kicking game?

    IMHO I can’t see it happening.

    Certainly it’ll help for the players to understand the game plan of the National side without actually being involved, but the SA Rugby player is not a creature who can ditch weekly habits at the drop of a hat, or blow of a green whistle for that matter.

    I don’t know what the answer is IRO the National side and having a pool of players from all provinces ready and able to step into the breach at a moments notice, but I suppose at least this is a step in the right direction.

    We must however not expect immediate rewards.

    Something that, by and large the SA Rugby fan(atic) seems to expect.

  • 4

    3 @ Scrumdown:
    Exactly, that’s why I want this to become a regular occurence, so that over a matter of time and slow progression teams, coaches and players can slowly move towards a more united stance… not by throwing away their individual success but embracing the national cause where possible.

  • 5

    4 @ grootblousmile:
    I really don’t want to see the VRYSTAAAAAAT playing WP / Stopers style of rugby.

  • 6

    ek kan al die gesprek hoor….naka.boys hardloop rugby is die ding,jake ja naka julle moet hol weg ons van tjek books off,frans,solank jy net skop kan jy mos lekker agter die bol an jaag ,toetie teckle teckle wand daai ref gaat ons nail.leeus,almal in n koor donner ons is net bly ons is terug en het nog nie regtig aan n patroon gedink nie……heyneke,solank daar net vir vic n bok kontrak gegee word is ek heppu

  • 8

    @ Scrumdown:
    Hopefully they can agree on some thing like fitness, and to work on certain areas like the breakdowns, tactical kicking etc. So I do like this idea.

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