Former Bok management member Pieter de Villiers has joined Scotland as a scrum coach.

De Villiers, a former Test prop for France, joined SA Rugby in 2012 as a consultant and served on the Springbok team management until the end of the 2015 World Cup.

In May 2018, SA Rugby confirmed that De Villiers had been released from his contract to take up an opportunity in France.

He was initially appointed Bok assistant coach under Rassie Erasmus, but De Villiers then requested a release from this position, and subsequently from his SA Rugby contract, due to family commitments.

He will now work with Scotland throughout the upcoming Six Nations tournament on a short-term contract capacity.

‘I’m very excited to join Gregor Townsend and his management team for the 2020 Six Nations tournament as a scrum consultant,’ he stated.

‘It is an honour and a privilege to be coaching at international level again having relocated the family back to Europe over the past year. I have fond memories of the passion and competitiveness of the Six Nations matches I experienced in my playing years and the thought of being back in the midst of it all is highly motivating.

‘I am looking forward to being involved with the Scotland player group and the goal would be to build strong personal relationships to enable the collective construction of our scrummaging principles and our scrummaging system.’

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