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Cape Town - SA Rugby on Wednesday announced that Dawie Theron has accepted a contract to coach the Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan and will not be available for a seventh season as coach of the Junior Springboks.
Theron will vacate his position following the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Manchester, England, which kicked off earlier this week.
Theron, who is currently leading the Junior Springboks in his sixth successive World Rugby Under-20 Championship, will join the club at their summer camp in Hokkaido on July 19, with his contract running until March 31, 2018.
“I would like to thank Dawie for his immense contribution to South African rugby, not only as a former Springbok player and the Junior Springbok coach over the past few years, but also for the role he played at provincial coaching level,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
“Under Dawie’s guidance the SA Under-20s have been consistently competitive as one of the best junior teams in the world.
“His job is not over yet, as he still has a significant task at the current Junior World Championships, and I have no doubt that he will continue to give everything to guide his team to another admirable result.
“I would like to wish Dawie well for his future endeavours.”
The Junior Springboks won the Junior World title under Theron in 2012 and have also collected one silver and two bronze medals in the past five years.
Theron said: “After six years with SA Rugby, I would like to thank the organisation for their faith in me and their continuous support to coach the most talented young players in the country.
“It was a tough decision to continue my career overseas, but this opportunity is a fresh challenge and will allow me to experience a new environment, which I believe will benefit my coaching.
“Coaching the Junior Springboks in the last few seasons has been an amazing journey, and it has been a great pleasure to see some of the players I worked with at SA Under-20 level develop into world class players at Springbok level.
“I will certainly miss South Africa and working with the next generation of Springbok players, but I am looking forward to the challenge and opportunities at the Docomo Red Hurricanes.”
