Felix Jones back in the Bok coaching fold

Respected coach Felix Jones is back in the Bok fold.

The double Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok assistant coach will reunite with national coach Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team in the Bok management team from March 1.

Jones had left the Boks for the England set-up but while he remained contracted to the Rugby Football Union did not stay long with their national team after Steve Borthwick's appointment as head coach.

He will be a welcome return to the Bok management.

What made Jones invaluable to the Bok set-up was his interchangeability across different coaching disciplines. His analysis of the opposition, in particular, hit the spot.

Erasmus unveiled his management team on Thursday, with the three new additions to the coaching and management groups being Jones — who was a member of the team’s triumphant 2019 and 2023 RWC campaigns — as well as Lance Lemmetjies, who will join the medical team as one of two physiotherapists from June, and Robyn Moore as the team dietitian from April 1.

Their appointments will be for the next cycle concluding with the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.

Jones made the decision to move to England after the 2023 World Cup to be closer to his family in the UK and will add vast experience to the Bok coaching team.

“We are delighted to welcome Felix back into the Springbok team and we are excited to see him pick up where he left off in 2023,” said Erasmus.

“He was a vital cog in the coaching team from 2019 to 2023, and his experience, professionalism and excellent work ethic will make him a great addition to the fantastic coaching team we built from the beginning of 2024.

“Felix worked very closely with most of our coaches in the past, and I have no doubt he’ll work equally closely with Jerry (Flannery) and Tony (Brown), who joined us last season.

“After spending some time in England, his experience of working in the UK and studying the opposition teams in the Six Nations and other international tournaments will add immense value in assisting us to adapt and improve as we cast an eye on a tough international season ahead.

“As a team we are well aware that we need to keep improving and growing if we want to remain one of the best teams in the world and to give ourselves the best possible chance to defend our World Cup title in Australia in 2027, and Felix, like all the other coaching and support staff, will play a key role in guiding us to do so.” 

“All three individuals are extremely hard workers, and they’ve worked with many of the players before, so we are confident they will slot in with ease,” said Erasmus. 

The Springbok coaches will host their first in-person planning block for the year from Friday, March 7 followed by an alignment camp with 56 players in the Mother City from Monday, March 10, which will be followed by two virtual alignment camps with the Japanese and European-based players and a handful of talented and injured domestic players on Wednesday, March 27.

Springbok management team:

Rassie Erasmus, head coach; Charles Wessels, general manager; Tony Brown, assistant coach; Deon Davids, assistant coach; Jerry Flannery, assistant coach; Daan Human, assistant coach; Felix Jones, assistant coach; Mzwandile Stick, assistant coach; Duane Vermeulen, mobi-unit coach; Andy Edwards, head of athletic performance; Jaco Peyper, laws and discipline adviser; Paddy Sullivan, performance analyst, Lindsay Weyer, technical analyst, Sebastian Prim, sport scientist; Dr Jerome Lehlogonolo Mampane, team doctor; Dr Aneurin Robyn, physiotherapist; Lance Lemmetjies, physiotherapist; JJ Fredericks, logistics manager; Zintsika Tashe, operations manager; Zeena Isaacs van Tonder, media manager; Robyn Moore, dietitian.