Dotwana scrutinises the RWC in search of a coach for Kings
● South Africans who can afford to watch the Rugby World Cup on pay-TV aren’t the only ones with a keen interest in the tournament.
The Greatest Rugby Company in the Whole Wide World (GRC) chair Loyiso Dotwana will have a sharper eye as the World Cup could provide the Southern Kings with a head coach to replace Deon Davids, who left the franchise in June after a four-year stint.
The drawback is that the 2019/20 Pro14 season starts on Friday, meaning high performance manager Robbi Kempson will continue on a caretaker basis.
Dotwana also said they’re prioritising a foreign coach as there hasn’t been a pattern of Super Rugby success from SA mentors.
Gloucester coach Johan Ackermann took the Lions to two consecutive and unsuccessful finals in 2016 and 2017. His successor Swys de Bruin took them to the 2018 final.
Frans Ludeke was the last SA coach to win Super Rugby with the Bulls in 2010.
“The candidate will be primarily a foreign one. We’re not looking at the same individuals and we’re expanding the base of candidates to look at.
“We’ve looked at the coaches in SA already and we can’t limit ourselves. Have you seen success in Super Rugby from SA coaches? That’s why we have to broaden our search,” Dotwana said.
“A lot of contracts come to an end when the World Cup concludes. We want to see who is available and who we can recruit out of the coaches who’ll be available. This isn’t to say we’ll exclude those who aren’t at the World Cup.”
Dotwana said the Kings’ initial search for a head coach was a transparent one and they’ll have a candidate by November 15.
The position was advertised, but also gave applicants limited time to apply, from where the deadline was extended.
Then there was the issue of an Eastern Province Rugby Union board member who objected to the appointment of former Springbok coach Nick Mallett to the panel searching for the new coach.
Then there was Peter de Villiers and the messy saga around his qualifications that derailed the process.
“We learnt from that process but the intention was to be transparent. That was important given the history of the franchise but it was fraught with challenges. The new process will be smoother,” Dotwana said.
“If a head coach is one who’s at the Rugby World Cup, the individual will be able to start as soon as the World Cup ends. We’re looking at November 15.”