How Stormers halted Bulls' raid
SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: Just over a week ago they were still on the ‘wanted’ list at the Bulls. Next year Western Province’s successful Currie Cup coaching panel will be part of the Stormers set-up.
Bulls President Willie Strauss emphatically denied the claim, but @rugby365com has it on good authority that on the Friday – just days before Pote Human’s unveiling as Bulls Super Rugby coach – there was a ‘scramble’ to convince John Dobson, Dawie Snyman and Norman Laker to reconsider and move to Pretoria.
However, the lure of staying involved in the coaching structures in the Western Cape appears to have won them over.
Paul Zacks, Group Chief Executive Officer at the WP Rugby Football Union and WP Rugby (Pty) Limited, this past Friday confirmed that the Stormers’ coaching structures are set for a shake-up.
“There will be changes to the management team and we will be announcing that in the new year,” Zacks told a media briefing at Newlands, without going into detail.
However, this website has it on good authority that in order to make room for the ‘promotion’ of Dobson, Snyman and Laker to the Super Rugby panel, a few of the current members of Robbie Fleck’s coaching staff needed to be culled.
And it will be no surprise if former Sevens coach Paul Treu and New Zealander Paul Feeney – two of the men central to the loathsome public spat at the end of the 2018 season – are cut.
Dobson and Fleck have a long history, going back to the days when the former was coach at the University of Cape Town and Fleck one of his assistants.
Fleck looks set to continue as head coach, with Dobson coming in as part of “succession plan” – with Fleck’s contract expiring at the end of 2019.
It is not clear if Treu and Feeney will be redeployed by the Stormers and WP, but Feeney has already been linked to a move to Europe.
According to a report on the WalesOnline website back in September Feeney and Kieran Crowley are contenders to join the Scarlets’ coaching team for next season.
Parc y Scarlets bosses hope Stephen Jones will succeed Wayne Pivac as head coach, but WalesOnline reported Feeney has already been approached with a view to working with the backs.
By Jan de Koning
@king365ed
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