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Springbok Women rugby coach quits days before hosting New Zealand
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa Women’s rugby coach Swys de Bruin has resigned just days before hosting New Zealand for the first time.
De Bruin’s shock move was confirmed by South Africa Rugby on Thursday.
The governing body said it was making no further comment in the short term, to allow the women to focus on their match against the Black Ferns on Saturday in the curtainraiser to the men’s test at FNB Stadium.
De Bruin was upset he wasn’t receiving win bonuses from the team’s successful defense of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Kenya in May and last month’s tour of Fiji, according to Rapport newspaper.
He remained in Stellenbosch during both tours to work with the extended squad. Assistants Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September took the team and will co-coach Saturday’s game.
De Bruin was expected to stay to the 2029 Women’s World Cup in Australia.
He took charge in August 2024 and guided South Africa to its first World Cup quarterfinals last September in England. It beat Italy for the first time, in the pool stage, and was eliminated by New Zealand but broke into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time.
De Bruin resigned as the attack coach with the men’s Springboks a month before the 2019 World Cup, citing personal and medical reasons.
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