Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Swys quits Lions but says: part ways
SWYS de Bruin and the Lions may have parted ways but the former head coach said on Friday the Joburg team still had a big place in his heart.
“I’ll still cheer for the Lions. They play the most attractive rugby and score wonderful tries, and I hope it stays that way. They’re still my team,” said De Bruin after news broke on Friday that he’d no longer be associated with the Lions.
Both parties said the decision to part ways was “mutual” and “amicable”.
De Bruin joined the Lions in 2012 as Johan Ackermann’s right-hand man and after serving in that role for five years became head coach two years ago when Ackermann joined Gloucester in England.
Between them, they guided the Lions to three successive Super Rugby finals between 2016 and 2018.
De Bruin left the Lions’ tour of Australasia earlier this year for “personal reasons” and returned home to seek medical help. After taking a few weeks off he returned to work and completed the Super Rugby campaign. Then, just weeks out from the start of the Rugby World Cup, he quit as a member of the Springbok management team, where he served in the role of attack consultant.
De Bruin said on Friday it was time for him to move on. “I’m doing great. It’s time for me to move on. I’ve always felt coaches have seasons and grow with groups of players, and my time is now up at the Lions,” he said.
“I spent five years at Griquas, seven years at the Sharks and now seven wonderful years at the Lions.
“This is a new era for Lions rugby. There are lots of new, young, players coming through the system and it’s time for someone else, someone with a different voice, to guide them.
“There are no hard feelings between me and the Lions. The last seven years here have been the best of my coaching life. I feel blessed and thankful.”
De Bruin wouldn’t be drawn on who he thought should take over the Super Rugby team, but he did say the young coaches at the Lions are “ready”. Regular conditioning coach Ivan van Rooyen has taken charge of the Currie Cup side in the last two years and led them to the final this season.
The Lions said they would consult with SA Rugby and their stakeholders before deciding on a successor to De Bruin.
De Bruin said he had no immediate plans but wanted to stray involved in rugby. “I love rugby and would love to stay in it. I think I have something to offer and would love to make a contribution somewhere,” he said.