Healy heads new coaching team for Germany after axe falls on Potgieter
GERMANY have announced a new coaching team on the eve of the Rugby Europe Championship (REC), following the shock departure of Kobus Potgieter.
Australian Paul Healy has joined as DoR, while Uruguay legend Pablo Lemoine succeeds Potgieter as head coach. Former All Black prop Campbell Johnstone makes up the new-look coaching team as forwards coach, replacing former England lock Mouritz Botha.
Potgieter’s removal is the latest episode in the fall-out between Swiss entrepreneur Dr Hans-Peter Wild, who for the last decade has bankrolled the rise of German rugby through a sponsorship agreement between his company, the drinks giant Capri Sun, and Deutscher Rugby-Verband, the German union.
However, seemingly irreconcilable differences between the two parties have led to a withdrawal of funding and the break-up of the team that climbed to number 22 in the world rankings at their peak under Potgieter while also giving themselves an outside chance of qualifying for the World Cup in 2019 through the Rugby Europe Championship.
In November, all but one of Germany’s top 45 players, employed alongside Potgieter at the Wild Rugby Academy set up by Wild, went on strike for the game against Chile, and a secondteam, predominantly made up of amateurs, lost 32-10.
“It’s a shame the rug has been pulled from under us just as we were about to continue striving towards World Cup qualification, but I wish the new coaches all the best,” said Potgieter, in a short statement to TRP.
The Rugby Paper understands that the South African received official notification of his removal from office the day after Lemoine had been publicly announced as head coach.
At the same time as announcing the arrival of Lemoine, DRV thanked Potgieter for his contribution to rugby in the country and said it was with “a heavy heart” that the two had parted company.
In Healy, Lemoine and Campbell Germany have secured the services of three vastly experienced figures. Their immediate task will be to assemble a squad of players that will at least be competitive in the REC.
A utility back, Healy played under John Connolly in Darwin before assisting the former Australia head coach at Swansea and then Stade Francais in the early days of professionalism. Later coaching roles included spells in Romanian and German club rugby in addition to his work with the Chile and Brazil national teams.
Lemoine, 42, was capped 48 times by his country before serving as Los Teros’ head coach between 2012-15, including at the last World Cup.
He then headed up Los Teros’ high performance programme, the fruits of which were seen in 2017 with a record of 10 wins from 13 internationals.
“We are very happy with the appointment of such an experienced and renowned coach as Pablo,” said DRV sport director Manuel Wilhelm. “This is a very clear sign that we want a positive future for the team
“Pablo enjoys an excellent reputation within World Rugby for his great career as a player and coach, and our clear goal is to explore the possibilities for long-term cooperation between himself and Paul Healy after the European Championship. First we have to focus on the upcoming five games.”
Germany begin their REC campaign away to Romania on February 10, and a repeat of their tremendous 41-38 win last year now looks unlikely.