Former Scotland international Matthew Proudfoot is in line to join his old friend and newly appointed Springbok coach Allister Coetzee’s management team.
Proudfoot, who served as Stormers and Western Province forwards coach alongside Coetzee, is apparently house hunting in Cape Town and understood to be unveiled shortly as the Boks’ specialist scrum coach in the new-look management team. He will work closely with forwards coach Johan van Graan.
According to sources, one of the reasons why Proudfoot wasn’t named in the Boks’ management team when Coetzee was named as coach at the beginning of last month, is because SA Rugby were still trying to get the former prop out of his Japanese club contract.
Proudfoot left the Cape-based union with Coetzee after last year’s Super Rugby competition to take up a coaching role at the Kobe Steelers in Japan.
SA Rugby have, allegedly, now finalised a deal with the Steelers, freeing Proudfoot up to join the Boks. It is understood Coetzee insisted on Proudfoot joining him in the national set-up before he signed on to take charge of the team.
The 44-year-old Proudfoot is credited for the turnaround in fortunes of the Stormers and WP scrum in recent seasons, where he brought through talents such as Springbok tighthead props Frans Malherbe and Vincent Koch, looseheads Steven Kitshoff and Oli Kebble, and hooker Scarra Ntubeni.
The Boks’ first assignment under the new management team, which also includes backs coach Mzwandile Stick, will be against Ireland in a three-Test series next month.
Coetzee is set to name his first squad on May 28, when South Africa’s involvement in the Super Rugby competition ends for the month-long break for international rugby.
Contacted yesterday, SA Rugby said they would not comment on the matter, while attempts to reach the Steelers were unsuccessful. - The Star