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Cape Town - Former Springbok centre Jaque Fourie has taken on a dual role as a player and coach for Australian outfit the Western Force.
Dumped from Super Rugby at the start of the season, the Force are looking to Fourie to help them rebuild over the next two years.
The 35-year-old will operate as a defence coach while he will also play a few games for the franchise.
Fourie confirmed to TimesLIVE that he was not considering coming out of retirement.
The Force will play international matches against Fiji‚ Tonga‚ Samoa‚ Hong Kong‚ the Melbourne Rebels and the Crusaders ahead of the World Series Rugby tournament in 2019.
"The Force are ambitious and initially were going to launch the Indo-Pacific competition in 2019‚ but it’s moved forward slightly now so they want me earlier," Fourie told TimesLIVE.
"I will work with the team defensively‚ but they do want me to play in a few of the matches this year.
"Peter Grant and my agent Hilton Houghton have been working closely with the Force and that’s how this opportunity came about.
"I’m serious about coaching. It’s rugby‚ which is all I know. I have spent a year at home after returning from Japan and I’ve started itching to get involved again."
