De Bruin to guide the Lions

Swys de Bruin was unveiled officially on Tuesday as the next Lions and Golden Lions coach.

De Bruin‚ 57‚ will take over from Johan Ackermann‚ who leaves the Lions after Super Rugby to join Gloucester in the English Premier Division.

The Lions Rugby Company did not immediately respond to queries about the duration of De Bruin’s contract.

The pair of Ackermann and De Bruin has created a formidable partnership and De Swys de Bruin

Bruin’s elevation is a natural progression of their work‚ which took the Lions to the Super Rugby final in 2016.

They are again SA’s leading team in Super Rugby in 2017 and still have a chance of ending the pool phase of the tournament as overall log leaders‚ which would give them a home final if they progress that far.

He will be the oldest head coach in Super Rugby in 2018, but has a wealth of experience that includes stints as Griquas head coach (1998-2003)‚ SA Under-21 coach (2001) and head of the Sharks’ Academy (199697 and 2004-12).

De Bruin is acknowledged as the brains behind the Lions’ superb attacking play that has seen them reinvent themselves as a free-scoring team.

In 2016 the Lions scored 81 tries in 18 Super Rugby matches and in 2017 they have already notched up 78 tries in 14 matches. They have won 13 of their games this season.

Rudolf Straeuli‚ CEO of Lions Rugby (Pty) Ltd‚ said: “The company is pleased to announce that De Bruin has put pen to paper for the position of head coach at the Lions. We believe it will bring continuity and stability within the different teams in the various competitions that we are taking part in.” /