Golden Lions Currie Cup coach Mziwakhe Nkosi says it’s about time SA franchises came to the party regarding transformation in coaching.
Out of the four franchises in the United Rugby Championship, the Bulls, Lions, Stormers and Sharks, no team is led by a black coach at a top-level competition. The franchises, the main financial injectors for SA Rugby along with the Springboks, are not committed to transformation targets.
The slow integration of black coaches to the top franchise rugby jobs has been worrying. This is not because there are no coaches available — there is plenty of talent in the system.
There’s a talented crop of young black coaches yearning for opportunities, coaches who have done the hard work to earn their breakthroughs and have a proven track record. Mzwandile Stick (South Africa A), Bafana Nhleko (Golden Lions U21), Melusi Mthethwa (Cheetahs backline coach), Phiwe Nomlomo (Sharks skills coach), Joey Mongalo (Sharks Currie Cup coach), Vuyo Zangqa (Russia sevens), Sino Ganto (Pakistan sevens) and Nkosi at the Lions are some coaching gems hidden just below the surface waiting to be picked up and moved up the ranks.
Some have been fortunate to get backroom coaching gigs within franchises at United Rugby Championship (URC) and Currie Cup levels, or have gone abroad for opportunities. Nkosi explained why there’s an emerging generation of savvy, knowledgeable black coaches.
“If you look at the current generation, they were never handed a silver spoon, very few played professionally, played 100 Tests then became coaches. These are guys for whom coaching is a profession,” Nkosi said.
“These are guys who have done the hard yards — there’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into making it on merit. Our game favours former pros. These are guys who have worked hard, earned their stripes, had time on the grass and have experience as coaches.
“They have earned it and so can be selected on merit as opposed to the privilege of being a former pro or playing Test rugby.”
During the Springboks’ end-of-year tour to Europe, the SA ‘A’ side was headed by Stick with Nhleko and Mongalo as his assistants. Nkosi applauded his peers for being torchbearers and for improving the players they worked with in the past.
“Mzwandile Stick [as Springbok assistant coach] showed he can take the likes of Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe and make them even better on a world stage.
“The SA under-20 team is talented, but it’s telling that they went unbeaten against Six Nations opposition under Bafana Nhleko as coach. The Bulls were the second-best defensive team in the URC last season, and as it happens Joey Mangalo was their coach.”
In June SA Rugby provided an update on their plans to fast-track the development of elite black coaches so they can be equipped at national and international level. In the release, SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus noted black coaches have received the wrong end of the stick from franchises.
“Over the years we have seen a number of black coaches with potential fail to receive opportunities to coach at the highest level, which includes the Currie Cup and URC, and unfortunately very few have made their way through the ranks,” Erasmus said.
The bleak reality is enough for black coaches to lose hope. Those who have been accepted by the system have excelled, but the majority have slipped through the net.
“The system needs black coaches because black coaches can also coach,” said Nkosi.
“The system is lucky — it has benefited by having that kind of depth. It’s important more black coaches come through. Rugby is transforming from a player’s point of view, and in the coaching ranks there’s still a bit of work to do.”
Nkosi believes the franchises have a role to play in giving black coaches a chance.
“Representation matters. Franchises will attract black players because they see there are black coaches who are successful, signalling that environment can enable black people to be successful.
“It’s crucial that franchises transform if we are to have a national team that is representative. People like to speak about a transformed team, I like to speak about a team that is representative. In other words, there are black, white and coloured people there.
Springbok star Lukhanyo Am, a key figure for the world champions, said transformation should always be in motion at player and coaching levels.
“Transformation is amazing; it’s been proven in the past. Having the platform right now within the system where players of colour are being backed, we have seen how positive the results are on the field and off it,” Am said.
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