Affies turns to old guard in rugby reshuffle

Affies has turned to its old guard as it reshuffles its rugby coaching structure for the 2027 season following the departure of Ruan Jacobs to the Sharks and Neill Jacobs to the Bulls.

Unable to secure a suitable candidate in time for the Head of Rugby/Director of Rugby and Head Coach positions, Affies will adopt a temporary arrangement, with long-serving Jaco Koch once again taking charge of the first team.

Jaco, who has been involved with Affies and the first team since 2010, will serve as Head Coach of the first and second teams, bringing considerable experience and institutional knowledge back to the helm.

Ryno van der Merwe, already Affies’ Head of Sport, will take over as Head of Rugby and step away from coaching to concentrate on steering the school’s rugby programme.

The arrangement appears to be for 2027. This may indicate that Affies will continue the process regarding a permanent appointment beyond next season. It would not be schoolboy rugby without rumours. In this instance there is talk of candidate in the frame, although he would only be available around the middle of next year, should current rumours prove accurate.

Joining Jaco is highly regarded Hanco Deale, an Affies Old Boy from the Class of 2011, who will take charge of a very talented first-team backline in his debut season at 1st XV level.

Hanco has been a Mathematics teacher at Affies since 2016 and has coached several A teams. His appointment brings some new blood to an otherwise familiar coaching structure, while his own playing career with the Witbulle gives him a strong understanding of the school’s rugby culture.

The appointments provide Affies with experience and continuity, but there is understandable a bit of frustration within the rugby community that a candidate could not be secured in time, particularly as several traditional rivals have already strengthened their coaching structures and given that the market is still one in which supply exceeds demand.

For now, though, Affies will rely on a combination of the old guard and new blood as it works towards finding its long-term rugby leadership.