Former Bok assistant coach Allister Coetzee will be the new head coach of the Stormers in 2010, taking over from Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus.
Coetzee, who led the WP Currie Cup side to their first semi-final in three years this season, will assume control for the day-to-day coaching of the regional side, while Erasmus will continue with various ill-defined and woolly “strategic” goals, mostly involving scouring the fleshpots of Fiji for fresh “talent”. If you’re thinking that this looks and smells like a demotion for the former Free State supremo, then we’re definitely on the same page.
Coetzee’s Currie Cup assistants, Robbie Fleck and Matthew Proudfoot, will continue as backline and forward coaches respectively. Last year’s Stormers forwards coach, Gary Gold, will seemingly be set loose to concentrate on his Bok job and based on the state of the Springbok pack, some focus would appear to be well necessary. It’s quite interesting that just as one Bok assistant coach is scaling back on external commitments, the other (Dick Muir) is just about to pick up a whole new set, having been appointed Director of Rugby for the Golden Lions.
One wonders how much longer Muir’s involvement with the Boks will continue…

So Rassie is still in charge?
@McLovin (Comment 1) : well,, as long as you define “in charge” as “not really involved but still likes to think he is” ๐
Okay…
Sound a bit funny to me, but it is the Stormers and Wes assures me their management are very good!!
Senior Professional Coach – Rassie Erasmus
Head Coach – Allister Coetzee
@Whindy (Comment 4) :
yeahhh….Wes…mmmmmmmm….yeah….. ๐
@McLovin (Comment 5) : no Rassie is The director of coaching, nothing as lowley as Senior Professional Coach ๐
From wprugby.com:
Erasmus continues to fulfill the role of a โhands onโ Senior Professional Coach, responsible for team strategy, tactics and player recruitment. Focus will be long term and global, ensuring positive momentum, culture and structures are retained at all levels in WP. Erasmus will remain โhands onโ from a senior team coaching viewpoint and remains responsible for team tactics and game plans.
Allister Coetzeeยดs role will continue to be control of day-to-day playing issues and man-management, for the senior professional team. Coetzee will be responsible for daily training and preparing the team for play, with the approval of Erasmus.
@McLovin (Comment 8) : My Apologies, he must have been demoted ๐ณ
@Whindy (Comment 9) : No worries, don’t think anyone really knows what Rassie does. ๐
@McLovin (Comment 10) : You are right, great job if you ask me, no pressure if the team fails.
@robdylan (Comment 2) : So what is your comments about Fransie being nominated as IRB player of the year???….I see it didn’t even warrant an article ๐
@Whindy (Comment 11) : My thoughts exactly. Good gig if you can get it.
Brian Habana has been cleared of any wrong doing following an incident during the South Africa v France match in Toulouse on Friday last.
No shit. What a waste of time that was. ๐
@McLovin (Comment 14) : Should be Bryan, not my spelling…
this is the funniest thing ever!
http://twitpic.com/pv51t
@McLovin (Comment 14) :
Really, I thought the hearing was only for tomorrow.
@Salmonoid (Comment 17) : Done and dusted. Habs is a free man. ๐
@McLovin (Comment 8) :
“Erasmus will remain โhands onโ from a senior team coaching viewpoint and remains responsible for team tactics and game plans”
That tells me that Allister is nothing more than Erasmus’s lackey… with a fancy title, and hopefully the salary that goes with it.
@Salmonoid (Comment 19) : Yip. And the oke who will be the first to get fired if things go wrong. ๐
@McLovin (Comment 20) :
Exactly, ๐
I think this is good news. Well done Allister!!
@wpw (Comment 22) : +2 Agreed, Rassie has been going backwards in terms of actually winning games, Alistar on the other hand is doing a great job.