It has been confirmed that Eddie Jones will take over as head coach of the Stormers.

Jones, who has been coaching Japan and guided them to a historic win over the Springboks on Saturday, will succeed Allister Coetzee from the start of the 2016 Super Rugby season.

'Our director of rugby, Gert Smal, always promised that he would deliver the best and in Eddie Jones I am more than satisfied that we have appointed the best coach to take over the reins of the Stormers,' WPRFU president Thelo Wakefield said. 'Eddie is no stranger to South African rugby and we look forward to making him feel welcome and ensuring that he brings more silverware to Newlands.'

Smal said the acquisition of Jones was a 'massive coup'.

'As I said from the start [of our search for a coach], this has been a thorough process, which saw me look both internally and externally. Eddie was always on my mind in terms of potential external candidates. Really, his coaching credentials and achievements do speak for themselves.'

Jones, who worked with the Springboks as a coaching consultant during their successful 2007 World Cup campaign, said he was excited to take on this new challenge.

'Having worked with the Springboks in 2007, and in the process working closely with people like Gert Smal, Allister Coetzee, Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger, gave me a brief taste of what Stormers rugby and Western Cape rugby is all about.

'I am well aware of the responsibilities that come with this job, one of the biggest franchise jobs in world rugby, but I am also excited about the talent available in the Stormers squad and the potential of this playing squad. This is a challenge I am looking forward to.'

Jones will arrive in Cape Town at the conclusion of his World Cup commitments with Japan.

Meanwhile, Smal confirmed that Robbie Fleck (attack coach) and Paul Treu (defence) would remain in their respective Super Rugby roles, with a new senior forwards coach potentially on the union’s shopping list ahead of 2016.

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