Swys de Bruin rugby player
Swys de Bruin rugby player

Swys de Bruin

18th Feb 1960 0.00m/kg Coach

Zacharia Francois "Swys" de Bruin started his coaching career in Durban with the Sharks Academy in 1996.

He made an immediate impact and was named as the Natal Wildebeest head coach for the 1998 Vodacom Cup, where he guided the side to a semi-final.

The following year he moved to Kimberley and became the Griquas head coach and help the side reach the final of the Vodacom Cup in 1999 and 2000.
In 2001 De Bruin coached the under-21 South African side.

De Bruin stuck with the Kimberley-based side until 2003, when he returned to Durban to head up the Sharks Academy, helping out with the Vodacom Cup, under 19 and under 21 sides.

In 2013 he joined the Lions coaching staff, as an assistant coach, at the time the Lions had been relegated out of the Super Rugby.

The Lions returned to Super Rugby in 2014 after they beat the Kings in a promotion-relegation match.

De Bruin and his head coach Johan Ackermann built a squad of talented players that made consecutive Currie Cup finals in 2014 and 2015, winning the latter.

In 2016 the Lions turned their Currie Cup success into Super Rugby success as they were the first South African side to play in a Super Rugby Final since 2012.

That season the Lions finished 2nd on the overall standings and were beaten in the final by the overall leaders the Hurricanes.

Swys De Bruin has been appointed to replace Golden Lions Rugby Union head coach Johan Ackermann who will join Gloucester Rugby

In July 2017 de Bruin was appointed as the Lions new head coach, replacing Johan Ackermann who joined Gloucester at the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season.

April 2019 saw him sign a new deal to remain head coach of the Lions for a further 2 years.

In October 2019, he left the Lions by mutual agreement and joined the Southern Kings as a coaching consultant.

Career

vFTYxErk_400x400 South Africa Women
Head Coach
2024 - present
sa South Africa U20's
Coach
2001 - 2001
GW Griquas
Coach
1999 - 2003
image Sharks
Coach
2004 - 2012
Barbarians_Logo Barbarians
Coach
2018 - 2018
sa South Africa
Coach
2017 - 2019
lions Golden Lions
Coach
2013 - 2019
golden_lions_thumb Lions
Coach
2013 - 2019
image Southern Kings
Coach
2019 - 2024