The Lions Rugby Company have today announced the appointment three former Springboks to bolster their coaching setup ahead of the inaugural United Rugby Championship (URC) competition starting 24 September 2021.
Head coach Ivan ‘Cash’ Rooyen will be supported by Albert Van den Berg (forwards and lineouts coach), Ricardo Loubscher (backline, attack and skills coach) and Jaque Fourie (defence coach)
Lions Rugby Company CEO Rudolf Straueli said:
"These are exciting times for the Lions ahead of the URC competition. As we embark on our debut season in Europe, we look forward to exposing our players and coaching staff to what will surely be a competitive environment. "
"We are particularly excited to welcome fresh ideas, experience and value our new coaches will bring to our setup as we begin preparations before jetting off in a few weeks. We wish the players and management all the best as they begin their preparations.”
Straueli further went onto encourage the Lions faithful to back their team ahead of the northern hemisphere competition.
“It’s been a challenging year and we have taken a few learnings from those experiences. We now more than ever encourage our fans and supporters to get behind their team as we prepare to face tough opposition abroad and at home.”
The Emirates Lions kick-off their European campaign with four away fixtures against Zebre (24 September), Scarlets (1 October), Glasgow Warriors (9 October) and Ulster (15 October)