Higher honours for West Rand coach
Higher honours for long-standing UJ coach from the West Rand. More here:
After a decade with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), strength and conditioning coach Jacques Durand, who hails from Ruimsig in the West Rand, has received higher recognition by being selected as part of the coaching staff for the Varsity Cup Dream Team.
Jacques, who has been part of UJ’s coaching staff since the competition’s inception in 2008, was named sports scientist for the Dream Team that played against the Junior Springboks last week.
“Personally, it’s a great reward for my years of involvement in the Varsity Cup,” said Jacques, who is believed to be the longest-serving coaching staff member in the tournament. “The opportunity is really special and it’s great getting to work with the young talent that will cement the future of rugby in our country,” he said upon his appointment.
The UJ team developed into one of the leading Varsity Cup teams during Durand’s tenure, reaching the play-offs five times since 2008.
Another personal highlight for Jacques was winning the Melrose Sevens in Scotland in 2010.
His teams have also won the Pirates Grand Challenge in Johannesburg six times in the last seven years. He said their current focus is on bagging the fourth title in a row this season.
Accustomed to working with one team on a continuous basis, Jacques said coaching a squad such as the Dream Team once-off comes with a number of challenges.
“It’s difficult to create complex structures or attacking patterns while at the same time getting the brilliance of all the players to gel. Having said that, it’s also a nice challenge to try and create something special in a limited time.”
Jacques said the environment in training prior to the match – which the Junior Boks won 50–19 – had been positive.
“The coaching staff definitely created a very positive vibe and they were awesome to work with.”
Going into the match in Stellenbosch, he acknowledged they were in for a tough battle.
“We had only experienced positive attitudes from the team but knew it was always going to be tough playing against the best players in their respective age groups. They also had the advantage of having prepared as a team for some time.”
Despite going down, Jacques said he was happy about gaining exposure at the next level.
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