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Cape Town - Between them they have won a Rugby World Cup, Currie Cup titles and Super 14 titles... and also coached around the world. Rudy Joubert, Heyneke Meyer and Jake White also happen to be fans of the Varsity Cup.
Joubert is the current head coach of the NWU-Pukke, but former Springbok boss White and Blue Bulls supremo Heyneke Meyer are just two of the latest - in a long line of coaches - to lend their assistance to Varsity Cup teams.
White was recently seconded by tournament sponsors Steinhoff to help out with basement sides TUT and NMMU, whilst Meyer - the man credited with moulding the Bulls into the finest provincial set-up in the world - has been very involved with Tuks' build-up to the 2011 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
Joubert, of course, needs no introduction in coaching circles across the globe - as a former Springbok assistant coach, Bulls Super 12 coach and Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby.
But it is not just about attracting those so-called 'big-name' coaches, with Matthew Proudfoot (Pukke), John Dobson and Robbie Fleck (both UCT) and Tuks' Freddie Grobler having all moved on to bigger and better things since coaching in the Varsity Cup.
Proudfoot is currently the forwards coach at Western Province and the Stormers, where Fleck serves as the backline coach, whilst Dobson has been appointed as WP's new Vodacom Cup coach, as well as taking over the reins of the WP Under-21 team. Grobler, meanwhile, continues to make waves as a Sevens coach, having coached the SA Students Sevens team for some time now.
Dobson will be missed in 2011, his underdog UCT have continued to shock both friend and foe with their exciting brand of rugby and individuality off the field - not to mention the huge amount of goodwill they seem to attract, the likes of Professor Tim Noakes, Dr Sherylle Calder, Bob Skinstad, Selborne Boome, Jake White and Gary Gold having all, at some point, lent their considerable expertise... simply for the love of the game.
The UCT reins have been handed to former SA Sevens captain Kevin Foote this year - having served as Dobson's assistant last season - and Foote has largely kept his coaching staff the same, except for the introduction of former Leinster tighthead prop Stephen Knoop.
Joining Foote as first-time head coaches in 2011 will be Tuks' Nollis Marais and NMMU's Brent Janse van Rensburg, but Maties (Chean Roux) and Shimlas (Jaco Swanepoel) will go into this year's tournament with their regular amount of continuity.
Both Roux and Swanepoel will be coaching in their fourth successive Varsity Cup campaigns, a helluva impressive achievement when one considers just how competitive this tournament has become.
Roux will again be assisted by Germaine Brinkhuis and Sollie Goosen, whilst Swanepoel and his Shimlas management have been able to call upon Derick Coetzee, the former Springbok conditioning coach whose first job was to withdraw eight of Shimlas' top players from the 2010 Club Champs - all in a bid to keep them fresh for the 2011 Varsity Cup.
Student rugby yes... but the hunger to win - and end the Maties dominance - is high on every coach's agenda this year.
"Every year you hear the usual 'horror stories' from the other universities - how their budgets have increased, their player resources... their new coaching experts... It all goes to show how desperate coaches are to win the Varsity Cup," said Maties coach Chean Roux.
"We've been very fortunate to have had such a good run, but we've lost a few players this year, too - the most we've ever lost.
"As a coach you would obviously like as much continuity as possible, but, at the same time, it does kind of make your job easier when there's a bunch of new faces listening to my same old boring voice!"
The 2011 Varsity Cup coaches:
(In order of last season's finish.)
FNB Maties - Chean Roux
Played three, won three. Undoubtedly the most successful Varsity Cup coach to date - having lost just three matches in three seasons. A great man-manager and a sound tactician... will his honeymoon period ever end in the Varsity Cup?
FNB UCT - Kevin Foote
A former UCT and Springbok Sevens captain, Foote has had a busy pre-season with his charges. He recently became a father for the first time - but will soon find out which is tougher; coaching in the Varsity Cup... or fatherhood!
FNB Shimlas - Jaco Swanepoel
Like Chean Roux, Jaco is the only coach on the verge of competing in his fourth Varsity Cup campaign. The Shimlas boss will be hungry to go one step further in 2011 after his first taste of semifinal action last year.
FNB NWU-Pukke - Rudy Joubert
The most high-profile coach in the Varsity Cup, Joubert has done well with Pukke since taking over from Matthew Proudfoot in 2009. Some might feel that Joubert ought to be achieving more at this level, given his vast coaching experience, and he certainly has some unfinished business.
FNB UJ - Hugo van As
UJ have developed into an exciting unit under the coaching of the former Transvaal - now Lions - centre, who has also had a stint as the Lions' Vodacom Cup coach. Well-liked by his players at UJ, Van As will be well aware that his side has never reached a semifinal.
FNB Tuks - Nollis Marais
Marais took over from Freddie Grobler last year and promptly led his team to the Carlton League title in Pretoria. Former semifinalists, in 2008 and 2009, Marais needs to get his team's self-belief back in 2011. He is one of three new head coaches in the 2011 Varsity Cup.
FNB TUT - Alex de Kock
De Kock used to serve as Jimmy Watt's back-up, but took over the reins - officially - last year. Sure, TUT will go into the tournament under pressure - given their recent results - but it's a clean slate for De Kock, as far as he is concerned, and he will want to prove it this year.
FNB NMMU - Brent Janse van Rensburg
The other new face amongst the head coaches, Janse van Rensburg has impressed all and sundry at NMMU and will be looking to hit the ground running in 2011. A graduate of the Murray Mexted Academy, Brent hails from Port Elizabeth and is also a former schoolmaster.
Joubert is the current head coach of the NWU-Pukke, but former Springbok boss White and Blue Bulls supremo Heyneke Meyer are just two of the latest - in a long line of coaches - to lend their assistance to Varsity Cup teams.
White was recently seconded by tournament sponsors Steinhoff to help out with basement sides TUT and NMMU, whilst Meyer - the man credited with moulding the Bulls into the finest provincial set-up in the world - has been very involved with Tuks' build-up to the 2011 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
Joubert, of course, needs no introduction in coaching circles across the globe - as a former Springbok assistant coach, Bulls Super 12 coach and Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby.
But it is not just about attracting those so-called 'big-name' coaches, with Matthew Proudfoot (Pukke), John Dobson and Robbie Fleck (both UCT) and Tuks' Freddie Grobler having all moved on to bigger and better things since coaching in the Varsity Cup.
Proudfoot is currently the forwards coach at Western Province and the Stormers, where Fleck serves as the backline coach, whilst Dobson has been appointed as WP's new Vodacom Cup coach, as well as taking over the reins of the WP Under-21 team. Grobler, meanwhile, continues to make waves as a Sevens coach, having coached the SA Students Sevens team for some time now.
Dobson will be missed in 2011, his underdog UCT have continued to shock both friend and foe with their exciting brand of rugby and individuality off the field - not to mention the huge amount of goodwill they seem to attract, the likes of Professor Tim Noakes, Dr Sherylle Calder, Bob Skinstad, Selborne Boome, Jake White and Gary Gold having all, at some point, lent their considerable expertise... simply for the love of the game.
The UCT reins have been handed to former SA Sevens captain Kevin Foote this year - having served as Dobson's assistant last season - and Foote has largely kept his coaching staff the same, except for the introduction of former Leinster tighthead prop Stephen Knoop.
Joining Foote as first-time head coaches in 2011 will be Tuks' Nollis Marais and NMMU's Brent Janse van Rensburg, but Maties (Chean Roux) and Shimlas (Jaco Swanepoel) will go into this year's tournament with their regular amount of continuity.
Both Roux and Swanepoel will be coaching in their fourth successive Varsity Cup campaigns, a helluva impressive achievement when one considers just how competitive this tournament has become.
Roux will again be assisted by Germaine Brinkhuis and Sollie Goosen, whilst Swanepoel and his Shimlas management have been able to call upon Derick Coetzee, the former Springbok conditioning coach whose first job was to withdraw eight of Shimlas' top players from the 2010 Club Champs - all in a bid to keep them fresh for the 2011 Varsity Cup.
Student rugby yes... but the hunger to win - and end the Maties dominance - is high on every coach's agenda this year.
"Every year you hear the usual 'horror stories' from the other universities - how their budgets have increased, their player resources... their new coaching experts... It all goes to show how desperate coaches are to win the Varsity Cup," said Maties coach Chean Roux.
"We've been very fortunate to have had such a good run, but we've lost a few players this year, too - the most we've ever lost.
"As a coach you would obviously like as much continuity as possible, but, at the same time, it does kind of make your job easier when there's a bunch of new faces listening to my same old boring voice!"
The 2011 Varsity Cup coaches:
(In order of last season's finish.)
FNB Maties - Chean Roux
Played three, won three. Undoubtedly the most successful Varsity Cup coach to date - having lost just three matches in three seasons. A great man-manager and a sound tactician... will his honeymoon period ever end in the Varsity Cup?
FNB UCT - Kevin Foote
A former UCT and Springbok Sevens captain, Foote has had a busy pre-season with his charges. He recently became a father for the first time - but will soon find out which is tougher; coaching in the Varsity Cup... or fatherhood!
FNB Shimlas - Jaco Swanepoel
Like Chean Roux, Jaco is the only coach on the verge of competing in his fourth Varsity Cup campaign. The Shimlas boss will be hungry to go one step further in 2011 after his first taste of semifinal action last year.
FNB NWU-Pukke - Rudy Joubert
The most high-profile coach in the Varsity Cup, Joubert has done well with Pukke since taking over from Matthew Proudfoot in 2009. Some might feel that Joubert ought to be achieving more at this level, given his vast coaching experience, and he certainly has some unfinished business.
FNB UJ - Hugo van As
UJ have developed into an exciting unit under the coaching of the former Transvaal - now Lions - centre, who has also had a stint as the Lions' Vodacom Cup coach. Well-liked by his players at UJ, Van As will be well aware that his side has never reached a semifinal.
FNB Tuks - Nollis Marais
Marais took over from Freddie Grobler last year and promptly led his team to the Carlton League title in Pretoria. Former semifinalists, in 2008 and 2009, Marais needs to get his team's self-belief back in 2011. He is one of three new head coaches in the 2011 Varsity Cup.
FNB TUT - Alex de Kock
De Kock used to serve as Jimmy Watt's back-up, but took over the reins - officially - last year. Sure, TUT will go into the tournament under pressure - given their recent results - but it's a clean slate for De Kock, as far as he is concerned, and he will want to prove it this year.
FNB NMMU - Brent Janse van Rensburg
The other new face amongst the head coaches, Janse van Rensburg has impressed all and sundry at NMMU and will be looking to hit the ground running in 2011. A graduate of the Murray Mexted Academy, Brent hails from Port Elizabeth and is also a former schoolmaster.
