VIDEO: Josh Strauss and his road less travelled
Joshua Zac Strauss has had a celebrated and storied playing career. Now he is taking a similarly out-of-the-way route in his coaching journey.
Amidst the post-match media merrymaking in the wake of the 64-0 Currie Cup whitewash of the Sharks, there was one ‘gem’ that almost slipped under the radar.
Assistant coaches Strauss and Werner Kruger fronted up to the newshounds, desperate for a descriptive soundbite that could explain the unexpected margin of the rout.
Reports of Strauss’ arrival as a ‘trainer’ had been swirling around various publications for some time, but the attestation only arrived in the form of his Round Two post-match appearance.
In another twist, he revealed the exact roles he and the rest of the coaching roster have been allocated.
Phiwe Nomlomo is the head coach, a well-documented role.
Springbok Werner Kruger is charged with the scrums (also not a surprise), James Winstanley and Kennedy Tsimba have the backs and transition play, while Strauss is a ‘line-out mentor’.
Strauss, still only 38, was on the Ikey Tigers roster when they beat Maties in the Varsity Cup Final earlier this year, gifting him a unique double – winning the tournament as a player with Stellenbosch and as a coach with their Cape Town rivals.
And barely three months later, he was back at Loftus Versfeld, where the 15-times Scotland-capped international played back in 2021.
He joined other Western Cape natives like Andries Bekker and Chris Rossouw as a member of the Pretoria union’s backroom staff.
With his previous coaching experience having been with the South African College High School institution in Cape Town’s southern suburbs and the Varsity Cup-winning University of Cape Town, coaching at provincial level is certainly a new experience.
(WATCH as Bulls assistant coach Josh Strauss speaks about his peculiar new role at Loftus Versfeld…..)
“Werrie [Werner Kruger], Phiwe [Nomlomo], James [Winstanley] and Kennedy [Tsimba] have all been great in helping me find my feet,” Strauss said.
“Coach Werrie [Kruger] was the forwards coach last year, and he has been incredible in helping me.
“His understanding of the squad and the players has been extremely helpful.”
The winning start of the season – 48-23 over Western Province in Cape Town and the 64-0 10-try rout of the Sharks – has helped Strauss settle down at Loftus.
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