TuksRugby and the season of 2021 looks very promising. Nico Luus (TuksRugby head coach) recently announced that John Mcfarland and John Laffnie de Jager will be joining their coaching team. This news did not only excite TuksRugby and their future prospectives, but also the long-standing supporters of TuksRugby.
Luus added that the theme for TuksRugby in 2021 will be ‘Champion people who are world class’, and added that he believes that by setting their heart on being world class, they will enable TuksRugby to be one of the best rugby clubs. Correspondingly both these new coaches have worked within the international sporting arena.
Mcfarland, famous for his defence coaching within rugby, worked ten years as an assistant coach at the Bulls and served as the 2012 defence coach for the Springboks. Luus told PDBY that “To have him as part of our team will be like having a ‘rugby encyclopedia’ on the field”. Secondly the appointing of de Jager might come as a surprise to many, since he is primarily a tennis coach. Luus explained that this is exactly why TuksRugby decided to include them in their coaching team. De Jager specialises in developing ‘Champion People’ and the individual, which is an aspect that can easily be neglected within coaching strategies. Luus also said that “one of the things de Jager said that stuck with me is: ‘when you respect your opponent, you ultimately show respect for yourself. When you respect your opponent, you will never be surprised when they play well. When you challenge your opponent to play at their best, it will bring the best out of you. It is the culture I want at TuksRugby”.
Overall 2020 was not a forgotten year for TuksRugby, but Luus constructively used this time to interview 105 of their current players in an attempt to improve their coaching. TuksRugby managed to turn 2020 around in a year of progress and planning to ensure a season in 2021 that the TuksRugby players and fans are already very excited about.
