In a boost to the management of the Springbok Women, the experienced Franzel September has been added to the team’s coaching staff, joining Laurian Johannes-Haupt as assistant to interim head coach Louis Koen.
The 37-year-old September, who recently coached Boland Kavaliers to the Currie Cup First Division title, played 80 matches for the Boland Kavaliers as a loose forward and represented SWD Eagles. He started coaching at his former club, Roses United in Wellington, before being appointed as head coach of the Kavaliers at the start of 2022.
September, who is a recent graduate of the SA Rugby Elite Coaching Programme, has been appointed until the end of the 2025 season, when the next Rugby World Cup takes place in England.
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer congratulated September on his appointment: “It is great to see coaches coming through the ranks of club rugby, first as a player and then as a coach. Franzel showed that there is still a place for that pathway in the game and I wish him and the Springbok Women well as they prepare for the WXV 2 tournament in October.”
SA Rugby’s High-Performance Manager for Women’s Rugby, Lynne Cantwell, said September brings valuable knowledge to the team as they start their preparations for the inaugural WXV 2 tournament to be played in October, when South Africa, Samoa, Japan, Italy, USA and Scotland will battle it out for bragging rights.
“It is exciting to have a full-time coach added to our coaching staff, which will really help us going forward as a programme,” she said.
“It will be a huge advantage as we now have someone working and planning even when we are out of camp and that was not something we had before this year.
“There is no doubt that our pack of forwards is one of the strengths for the team and to have that complement of our coaching staff now complete, means we can really get down to fine-tuning the pack even more. With WXV looming and the World Cup not too far away, we are in a perfect place now with Franzel and Laurian to put in some good work.”
September said it was a case of ‘challenge accepted’ when his appointment was confirmed.
“I am really excited for this next chapter in my rugby journey and it’s something I am really looking forward to,” said September.
“I am grateful for the opportunities I had with Boland and what we managed to achieve. I am sad to leave but joining SA Rugby now gives someone new an opportunity at Boland, so that is great. For me, coming into a national set-up, is also something positive for our region as it gives hope to other coaches.”