Swys de Bruin quits Bok women’s team

The former Lions coach helped guide the Bok women's side to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2025. Swys de Bruin has quit his role as head coach of the Springbok women’s team. The news comes just days before the Bok women are due to face off with their New Zealand counterparts in the curtain-raiser to Saturday’s third Test between the Springboks and All Blacks at the FNB Stadium. SA Rugby confirmed the news on Thursday afternoon. In their press release announcing the Bok women’s team to face the Black Ferns on Saturday they state De Bruin has stepped down from his role, while naming Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September as co-coaches “this week”. Bonuses According to Rapport, De Bruin and SA Rugby butted heads over the payment of win bonuses. Rapport said on Thursday that De Bruin felt he was entitled to win bonuses from the Bok women’s team’s recent tours to Kenya and Fiji, even though the coach wasn’t personally on them. The publication also stated De Bruin was upset about interference in the team. The 66-year-old helped guide the national women’s team to the World Cup quarter-finals in England last year. The team went as far as the quarter-finals where they lost to the Black Ferns, who they face again on Saturday. The match between the Bok women and Black Ferns kicks off at 1.30pm Saturday. De Bruin started as head coach of the Bok women’s team in August 2024. He also coached the Lions to the Super Rugby final in 2018, after being Johan Ackermann’s assistant in the team’s previous runs to the final in that competition, in 2016 and 2017. He is believed to now be in the running for the position of director of rugby at Paarl Boys High. Black Ferns match Looking ahead to Saturday’s match at FNB Stadium, Johannes-Haupt said it was a big occasion. The Bok women’s team that will play is an experienced one with 11 starters from the side that lost the quarter-final in Exeter last year. “We have managed to build some extra depth since that match,” said Johannes-Haupt. “We believe this is the right squad for this game, and we go to FNB Stadium with a very specific game plan in mind. “We have certain characteristics as Springbok Women and that includes being very physical in our first phase, so there is no reason to move away from that. We are aware of what the Black Ferns will bring, but selected this group because we want to play a certain way, not in reaction to who might be in their team.” She added: “This is a big moment for us as a team, but we will make sure the focus remains between the four lines.”