Movements in The Den: The record that will see most coaches fired

OPINION: With whispers of a change in the Lions’ management structures, @king365ed looks at what must be the worst coaching record in the once-proud franchise’s history.

If the Ellis Park ‘grapevine’ is to be believed, Ivan van Rooyen is set for a ‘promotion’ from coach to Director of Rugby at the Lions Rugby Company.

Such a move would be an indication that he is currying significant favour with his employers – CEO Rudolf Straeuli and Altmann Allers, Chairman of the board and owner of the Lions Rugby Company.

It does beg the question: ‘What in his record, or performance, justifies a promotion?’

In six years, since he was first promoted to ‘head coach’ from ‘strength and conditioning coach’ in 2019, he has a paltry win percentage of just under 42 percent (41.67 percent).

That includes 62.50 percent (five wins from eight starts) in his inaugural stint – in the Currie Cup in 2019.

In no tournament since then has the Lions’ win percentage, with Van Rooyen as coach, been above 50 percent.

For the record, this is Van Rooyen’s coaching record:
2019: Currie Cup = 62.50 percent
2020: Currie Cup = 50.00 percent
2020: Super Rugby Unlocked = 33.33 percent
2021: Currie Cup = 16.67 percent
2021/22: URC = 44.44 percent
2022: Currie Cup = 16.67 percent
2022/23: URC = 50.00 percent
2022/23: Challenge Cup = 50.0 percent
2023: Currie Cup = 42.86 (Mzwakhe Nkosi was the official coach, but Van Rooyen was extensively involved)
2023/24: URC = 50.0 percent
2024/25: URC = 43.0 percent (ongoing, with four home games remaining)
2024/25: Challenge Cup = 40.0 percent

Total: All competitions = 41.67 percent

Van Rooyen has been ‘head coach’ in 144 games, with 64 wins, six draws and 74 losses.

This is not an attack on Van Rooyen or his character.

It is an attempt to find the reasoning for retaining his services, when clearly the team is #NOT performing to acceptable standards.

The story continues below…

For context, let’s look at some other high-profile URC coaches who were shown the exit door in the past 18 months.

The URC, after all, is the most comparable playpen where Van Rooyen is conducting his business.

In November, Dragons coach Dai Flanagan ‘vacated’ his position at the Newport-based outfit, following disappointing results in the first block of the United Rugby Championship.

Flanagan departed Dragons – apparently by ‘mutual consent’ – with a record of just 10 wins and a draw from 48 games, the worst of all the Dragons coaches since their 2003 inception. That was just under 21 percent.

Flanagan’s exit followed close on the heels of Munster’s dismissal of coach Graham Rowntree, also after the first block of URC fixtures.

After joining the Irish province in 2019, Rowntree spent three years as forwards coach before being appointed head coach ahead of the 2022/23 season – replacing Johann van Graan.

Rowntree won the URC title (2022-23) in his first season as coach, leading Munster to their first trophy in 12 years. They finished top of the URC table the next season (2023-24), but were defeated in the semifinal by Glasgow Warriors. Rowntree was also named Coach of the Season in 2024.

After a slow start to the 2023-24 season, with Munster sitting 12th in the URC standings after six games, Rowntree left the province by mutual consent.

In February 2024, Ulster announced the departure of Dan McFarland – also by ‘mutual consent’.

After joining the Irish province in 2018, McFarland became the longest-serving head coach for the Belfast-based outfit in the professional era, with the team reaching the play-offs in URC and EPCR competitions during his time at the helm, including reaching the Pro14 Final in 2020.

Back to the Lions and Van Rooyen.

Even if Van Rooyen is not ‘promoted’ to Director of Rugby, what is the rationale for retaining the coach for six years with that record?

There clearly is something amiss when a team that reached three successive Super Rugby finals, now can’t win 50 percent of their matches.

Van Rooyen, as a fitness guru, did his schooling under men like John Mitchell, Johan Ackermann and Swys de Bruin.

Yet, that has not translated into success.

How did a union/franchise with a proud history stretching back more than a century and many successes – including a Super Rugby title (Super 10 in 1993), Currie Cup (11 titles, one share and runners-up 13 times) sunk so low?

Maybe Straeuli or Allers can explain to their supporters how this is acceptable.

@king365ed
@rugby365com