Phiwe Nomlomo has been appointed as the head coach of the Vodacom Bulls for the 2024 Carling Currie Cup campaign.
The Selborne College alma mater will work alongside Werner Kruger, Jean Tiedt and Kennedy Tsimba. World Rugby Hall of Fame and former flyhalf at Loftus, Tsimba will look after the backline, whilst former coach at North-West University’s Pukke, Tiedt will focus on the defence. Kruger - who made more than a century of Super Rugby appearances for the franchise in his playing days - will looking after the forwards department.
Nomlomo says the opportunity to be part of the coaching unit for this Currie Cup campaign is more than just an honour.
“This is more than just an honour; it is carrying the trust of the entire organisation to lead our side in a competition we value and respect because of the influence it has on rugby in our country. It is also another opportunity to compete and showcase the talent we have within our ranks,”
“Our loyal faithful will have the opportunity to see our new recruits in action as rugby enters its traditional winter season. It will be good to play in some of the areas that we don’t visit on a regular basis.”
Nomlomo says his side have a quick turnaround to make final tweaks to the side ahead of the start of the competition on 07 July.
“We have a quick turnaround from the VURC to the Carling Currie Cup which is a unique kind of pressure for us, one that we enjoy because it means that the franchise is excelling in all competitions,”
The Tsomo native adds: “We now need to make sure that everyone in the squad is aligned on what our brand identity is going to be for this campaign and make minor tweaks ahead of the start in a week’s time,”
“We have players who are keen to get on the field, rugby coaches who want to see them do well and a support base who wish to see their club go all the way. This is a wonderful recipe for an exciting season ahead” he concludes.
Phiwe joined the Vodacom Bulls in August of 2023 as an assistant coach with a focus on the skills hub alongside Kennedy. Previously, he was with Durban outfit, the Sharks with other prominent stints with the 2019 SA Schools A side, Border Craven Week squad and his former school’s first team between 2018 and 2019. He was also the head of the EP Kings academy in 2016.