Top five South African rugby coaches

The Springboks may have had a largely troubled year but there were other South African rugby coaches who covered themselves in glory this year.

TimesLIVE picks the top five South African coaches in SA rugby.

1) Johan Ackermann (Lions)

He guided the Lions to the Super Rugby final but they lost to a more experienced Crusaders side who beat them 25-17 at Ellis Park earlier this year.

It was the first time that the Crusaders managed to win the tournament since 2008 and it was also the first time that a side hoisted the Super Rugby title after crossing the Indian ocean.

2) Neil Powell (Blitzboks)

The Springbok Sevens team was crowned HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champions in London earlier this year.

It was the second time that the Blitzboks were crowned overall champions after they won the tournament during the 2008/09 Series.

3) John Dobson (Western Province)

He led Western Province to Currie Cup final victory over the more fancied Sharks at Kings Park Stadium in Durban where they triumphed 33-21 after they were down by ten points at half time.

The Sharks went into the final having won ten of their twelve round robin matches which saw them finish at the top of the log standings before they beat Blue Bulls in the semi-final.

4) Oersond Gorgonzola (Griffons)

He helped the Griffons to successfully defend their Currie Cup First Division championship this year after they defeated by the Leopards 60-36.

It also turned out to be a rewarding year for the union as their juniors defeated the Limpopo Blue Bulls 29-22 in the SA Rugby U20 Championship.

5) Robert du Preez (Sharks)

The Sharks went through a near flawless Currie Cup campaign under the leadership of coach Du Preez but they fell at the final hurdle when they lost to Western Province.

In what was a family affair in the final‚ the Sharks’ hopes were dashed by Du Preez’s namesake son among others.