Griquas lose their Bok before he even started
TRANSFER NEWS: Griquas’ 2019 campaign got off to a bumpy start. They have lost the services of a Springbok before he even joined their backroom staff.
CJ van der Linde, a 2007 World Cup winner, has decided to quit his position at the Kimberley-based outfit.
“It is with regret that the Griquas Rugby Union must announce that we will be parting ways with our recently appointed forwards coach, CJ van der Linde, in March 2019,” said Griquas CEO Arni van Rooyen.
“CJ has just returned from a consultancy period in Japan and has very recently been offered an opportunity abroad, which is one that is felt he just cannot decline.”
Van der Linde will continue to assist newly-appointed coach Brent Janse van Rensburg in the coming months, before he departs in March.
This will allow Griquas time to appoint another assistant coach.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity Griquas gave me and the faith that Brent has in my ability,” Van der Linde said.
“It saddens me that I have had to resign before I got a chance to start working with the group of players,” he said, adding: “Although it was an extremely difficult decision to make, [it] was one made with the future of my family being the deciding factor.
“I want to thank everyone at Griquas, and especially Brent, for understanding my decision and respecting me as a person with the way they have dealt with this.
“I am a firm believer in Brent as a coach, what he has to offer, his structures and systems work, and he has the ability to create a team culture that moulds successful teams.
“I hope only for the best in the coming seasons for Griquas and believe that if they follow the vision that Brent has for them, they will be successful without a doubt.”
The new Griquas head coach, Janse van Rensburg, said that although it is disappointing to lose the services of Van der Linde, they will focus on the solutions needed to move forward as effectively as possible.
“These things happen unfortunately, we will look ahead and invest our energy into the way forward,” the coach said.
“No person has the right to decide for another what is best for him and impact their future, thus it wouldn’t be right for us to stand in his way. CJ feels this is best for him and his family, which we respect, he has our blessing and best wishes for him, when he departs.
“I am very thankful that he will be giving us two to three months to assist our preparations before his departure.”
Janse van Rensburg further added that they will not be rushing into appointing anyone in van der Linde’s place.
“Decisions will be made with the long term in mind.
“The success and sustainability of our program will be the focus.
“Short-term reactive decision making just leads to problems inevitably. Getting the right people in our environment is imperative for us to bring in the required skill set and personality to serve our program appropriately.”
