Former Bok coach Peter de Villiers lands new head coach job

December 04, 2020
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Ultimate Rugby

Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has landed his first coaching role in South Africa since his tenure as the Springbok coach ended in 2011.

On Wednesday de Villiers was confirmed as the new EP Elephants head coach. He was one of five coaches who appeared before the EP panel on Wednesday for his interview to become the next EP Elephants coach.

The interview process had also included former Springbok assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher, Deon Kayser, Jonathan Mokuena and Kevin Musikanth.

This is De Villiers' first head coaching job at senior level in South Africa since his four-year Bok term expired in 2011.

He was the director of rugby at the University of the Western Cape from 2012 to 2015 and his last coaching gig was when he occupied the head-coach position of Zimbabwe’s Sables.

On Friday, the EPRU confirmed that De Villiers had been appointed.

‘Being the coach of EP poses the opportunity to for us to actually unite a divided community into one support group that is behind the team that is supposed to be one of the best in the country,’ said De Villiers in an EPRU statement.

‘It is going to be a challenge but with the input of all stakeholders, we will be able to reach our goal. My plan for the union is that I need a lot of support from all the stakeholders to build bridges and to get the right personnel together and make sure that everybody understands what the collective goal is.

‘I will work hard to make sure we achieve our goals.’