JOHANNESBURG - The Blue Bulls and director of rugby, Jake White, have pulled off another coup by luring respected and successful Grey College First XV coach, Wessel du Plessis, to Pretoria.
Du Plessis has been in charge of Grey’s First Team since 2014. In this time, Grey continued to be the country’s top schools team, including consistently beating the likes of Affies and Paarl Boys.
Du Plessis, 35, will fulfil the role of Head of Junior Rugby. Before the spread of the coronavirus halted all rugby earlier this year, SA Rugby recognised Du Plessis’ achievements by appointing him head coach of the SA Schools A team. He said he wanted to make an immediate impact at the Pretoria-based union.
“I’m passionate about helping young rugby players realise their potential and being able to do that in a professional environment such as the Bulls is just the cherry on top,” said Du Plessis.
“The junior structures at Loftus are impressive while the players are of an exceptional quality as evident by Loftus being the current home of the SA Rugby U-21 and U-19 championship trophies.
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— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby)
“I’m looking forward to working with the next generation of Bulls players.”
White said it was important to groom the next generation at Loftus.
“Creating a winning culture starts at the bottom and it is important to invest in the future of Bulls rugby; and appointing a coach of Du Plessis’ calibre is a step in the right direction.”
White recently also brought on board senior coaches Russell Winter and Joey Mongalo to work alongside him at the senior side, while several big signings have also been made, including Springboks Gio Aplon, Nizaam Carr and Arno Botha.