Pieter Rossouw fuelled long-held rumours that he was eager to move office to Newlands in the near future when the former Springbok and Stormers winger gave up hope of extending his term as the Bulls attack coach.
An official Bulls press release yesterday confirmed that “Rossouw’s contract terminates at the end of the current season” and “the process of appointing a successor has already started”. Other reports highlighted family reasons for the Paarl Gym old boy’s decision to pack his bags for Cape Town where his children will attend high school.
Rossouw, nicknamed Slaptjips for his gangly running style, was a key member of Western Province and then the Stormers between 1996 and 2004, lining up on the left wing in a back three that, for the most part, featured fellow Bok stalwarts Breyton Paulse and Percy Montgomery.
During the second half of his playing career, Rossouw served under current WP director of rugby Gert Smal.
Smal was recalled for a second term at Newlands headquarters in April last year and has steadily primed the management team for an overhaul.
Head coach Allister Coetzee will join Kobe Steelers in the Japanese league at the conclusion of the current Super Rugby season, with WP Vodacom Cup coach John Dobson and his assistant, Dawie Snyman, assigned to the pending Currie Cup campaign. Attack coach Robbie Fleck will go from the Stormers to WP under-21 coach during the domestic championship.
Forwards coach Matt Proudfoot has been assigned to a special project that Smal has dubbed “The Tight Five Factory”. Former conditioning coach, kicking coach and one-time defence coach, Greg Hechter is now high performance manager, while former SA Sevens coach Paul Treu was added to the team this year with a long-term view to filling the void left by the departure of defence coach Jacques Nienaber.
Multiple sources have confirmed that former All Blacks, Western Force and Lions coach John Mitchell has already been interviewed to replace Coetzee as Stormers coach.
Fleck and Rossouw were teammates during the heady days of the Stormers’ “Men In Black” campaign, and for South Africa.
Rossouw’s departure from the Bulls could pave the way for the return of Springbok scrumhalf Fourie du Preez to Loftus Versfeld as his replacement. Du Preez will end his international career after this year’s Rugby World Cup and will also hang up his boots at the end of his contract with Japanese club Suntory at the beginning of next year. – Zelim Nel and Vata Ngobeni