Stormers head coach John Dobson has confirmed that the team’s assistant coaches will be taking charge of the side on a rotational basis during the pre-season.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dobson said that the move will take place from this week, with forwards coach Rito Hlungwani running the team’s training sessions in the buildup to next Tuesday’s match against Griquas in Kimberley.
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Stormers skills coach Labeeb Levy and backline coach Dawie Snyman will also be given similar opportunities throughout the preparation series.
‘I will still be involved in coaching my department and overseeing things,’ Dobson said. ‘As much as we want to build depth and opportunities for our players, the same applies to the coaching staff. We want to create opportunities for these guys and develop these coaches.
‘I am still going to be taking responsibility for the performances next Tuesday. There are things that assistant coaches aren’t exposed to, whether that’s selecting or dropping a player, signing off on a training session, speaking to the team and setting the week’s themes. It’s not a university course for a guy like Rito. It’s to give him and the other coaches some experience and insight into what I do. It’s a good experience for him.
‘It’s not something we can ordinarily do in a normal competition. As you know, this is a preparation series and there is no log or trophy. But there is still a lot of pressure, which is a good thing.’
This a similar move to what the Lions are doing during the pre-season, as they confirmed at the beginning of last week that U21 head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi will be taking control of the team, with senior head coach Ivan van Rooyen overseeing matters.
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