Rassie and Smal boost for WP?

2007-07-11 22:12

Stephen Nell

Stephen Nell - Kobus van der Merwe, chief coach of the Western Province rugby team, and his assistant, Jerome Paarwater, have been dismissed. The news was confirmed in a media release by the WP Rugby Union on Wednesday evening.

Gary Gold and Nazeem Adams will coach the team for the rest of the Currie Cup season.

The decision to let Van der Merwe go was taken after a poor start to the season in which the Cape side beat the Lions in their first match and then lost to Boland and the Sharks in the next two.

Van der Merwe poured criticism over his players after the defeats and one of the seniors, Schalk Brits, has confirmed that some players were upset.

"Some players took it personally. It may have alienated them (from the coach)," Brits said.

After losing to the Sharks, the WP players were ordered to run 11km last Sunday morning. "No team enjoys getting together at ten o'clock on a Sunday morning to go running. That is family time," the hooker said.

Pat Kuhn, chairperson of WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd, confirmed that he had arranged a meeting with WP captain Luke Watson to discuss the team's performances. "The players felt the coach was unable to motivate them any longer," Kuhn said.

Watson was unwilling to comment until the players and the new coaches had met with the union's administrators.

Mallett may also be told to leave

Gold's appointment as chief coach is a temporary arrangement. The union will also appoint a new coach for the Stormers, who play in the Super 14 competition.

Once the appointment has been finalised, WP director of rugby Nick Mallett may also be told to leave.

At this stage, Mallett is due to leave at the end of December but Kuhn has confirmed that the former Springbok coach could be released earlier.

Interviews with candidates to coach the Stormers will start on Thursday. Rassie Erasmus and Gert Smal are the leading candidates. There have been rumours that WP may employ both.

Erasmus and Smal, both former Springbok loose forwards, are involved as technical advisor and assistant coach with the Springboks at present.

Smal was the coach when WP won the Currie Cup in 2000 and 2001 and he also coached the Stormers in 2004 when they reached the semi-finals of the Super 12.

Erasmus coached the Cheetahs to their Currie Cup triumph in 2005 and was also the coach when the team shared the trophy with the Blue Bulls last year

- Die Burger