SPORT: Kings sign ex-Grey coach
Janse van Rensburg to head up defence
FORMER Madibaz and Grey High School coach Brent Janse van Rensburg has been hired as the new EP Kings defence coach. The Kings have been quick to find a replacement for defence expert Omar Mouneimne, who unexpectedly left Port Elizabeth to join French club Lyon last week.
Last year, the Kings leaked a massive 53 tries during their 10-match Currie Cup campaign and they are hoping Janse van Rensburg can improve their defence strategy.
The Kings announced yesterday that the Golden Lions Rugby Union had released Janse van Rensburg from his contract with the Lions due to personal reasons.
“Brent approached us and asked if he could be released from his contract for personal reasons, and he wished to return to Nelson Mandela Bay,” Golden Lions chief executive Rudolf Straeuli said.
EP Kings chief executive Charl Crous said following the sudden departure of Mouneimne, the Kings had been hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement.
“When we heard that Brent was returning to Nelson Mandela Bay, we approached him to consider taking up the position of head of defence,” Crous said.
“Brent is a top calibre coach, having earned his stripes in the school system and at the Madibaz. We are confident he will play a significant role in our preparations going forward.”
Crous said he was sure Janse van Rensburg would fit into the existing structures quite seamlessly, having already had a close working relationship with the Kings during his tenure as head coach of the Madibaz Varsity Cup side.
“We are also extremely thankful to the Lions who have, in good faith, released Brent to take up this opportunity with us,” he said.
Janse van Rensburg started his coaching career with the SA Rugby Institute, before moving through the school ranks until he was hired as the head of rugby at Queens College, later becoming the school’s professional rugby coach.
His work at the school got him noticed by Border Rugby and Janse van Rensburg spent two years with the union before taking on both the role of technical director and head coach at Alan Zondagh’s Rugby Performance Centre.
In 2011, Janse van Rensburg took over as head coach at NMMU and built the team into a competitive unit.
He then went on to take the position of head coach for Grey High School last year, before recently taking up the coaching position at the Lions.
Meanwhile, gifted young former Blue Bulls flyhalf Tony Jantjies is expected to make his debut for the EP Kings when they clash with the Free State Cheetahs in a friendly at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday.
Whether Jantjies or regular Kings flyhalf Gary van Aswegen starts remains to be seen as Eastern Province prepare for their Vodacom Cup campaign.
The Kings might also consider giving George Whitehead a run in the pivotal role at this early stage of the season.
After Friday’s match, the Kings have another warm-up against the Lions before they kick off their Vodacom Cup campaign against defending champions Griquas in Port Elizabeth on March 21.
It was Jantjies who proved to be a thorn in the Kings’ side when he kicked two penalties and two conversions last season when the Bulls beat EP 30-25 in the Currie Cup last year.
The arrival of Jantjies, the younger brother of Springbok Elton Jantjies, will boost the Kings, who lacked consistency at flyhalf when they lost nine consecutive matches in the Currie Cup Premier Division.
“He has a lot of physicality and comes from a similar mould as his brother Elton, so I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Kings head coach Carlos Spencer said.