Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick has been appointed as the head coach of the South Africa ‘A’ team for their matches against Munster and Bristol Bears in November.
Stick will be joined by SA Rugby’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, who will oversee the coaching, and three assistant coaches – South Africa U20 head coach Bafana Nhleko, Sharks defence coach Joey Mongalo and Griquas scrum coach Wian du Preez.
The South Africa ‘A’ side will face Munster on Thursday, November 10, and Bristol one week later on November 17.
Splitting coaching duties
The Springboks will be in action against Ireland on Saturday November 5, France on November 12, Italy on November 19 and England on November 25 as part of their end-of-year tour which means Stick and Erasmus will split their duties between the two teams.
Erasmus said while winning the Springbok Test matches was the top priority, the South Africa ‘A’ side played an equally important role in player and coach development as the Boks prepare for next year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
“The SA ‘A’ matches will have multiple benefits for SA Rugby as it will open the door for some of our top up-and-coming coaches to be exposed to high-level rugby at senior level in a national team set-up, while at the same time allowing us to continue building our player base as look ahead to the Rugby World Cup,” said Erasmus.
“This season alone we used over 50 players in our Test matches, which is fantastic as one of our core pillars in the Springbok team is to build squad depth, but with limited playing opportunities for several players and the fact that we lost out on a vital year to build our squad due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these matches will be crucial.
“The closest one can get to playing for the Springboks is the SA ‘A’ team, and we believe these matches will give us a good idea of the coaches and young players within our ranks as well as offering some experienced players the opportunity to return from injury and get back to form as they contest for places with an eye on Rugby World Cup spots.”
Commenting the opposition which the South Africa ‘A’ team will face, Erasmus said: “Munster are renowned for their status as Irish rugby giants, and as we have seen in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, they will test the team to the limit.
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“We expect Bristol to play more of a running game, especially with Pat Lam – a former New Zealand junior and club player, and Auckland Blues coach – influencing their style of play.
“These are going to be challenging matches, which is exactly what we want less than a year out from the Rugby World Cup.”
The Springbok and South Africa ‘A’ squads will be announced within the next three weeks.
South Africa ‘A’ team management:
Head coach: Mzwandile Stick; Assistant coaches: Bafana Nhleko, Joey Mongalo, Wian du Preez; Technical analyst: Willie Maree; Operations manager: Zintsika Tashe; Logistics manager: Barry McDonald; Team doctor: Clement Plaatjies; Physiotherapist: Lance Lemmetjies; Conditioning coach: Johan van Wyk