{"id":26830,"date":"2014-01-07T17:31:39","date_gmt":"2014-01-07T15:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/2014\/01\/tiger-mangweni-joins-eastern-province-rugby-coaching-staff\/"},"modified":"2014-01-07T17:31:39","modified_gmt":"2014-01-07T15:31:39","slug":"tiger-mangweni-joins-eastern-province-rugby-coaching-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/tiger-mangweni-joins-eastern-province-rugby-coaching-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiger Mangweni joins Eastern Province Rugby coaching staff"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/p>\n

Eastern Province Kings rugby stalwart, Siyabonga Tiger Mangweni, has moved across from the field of play to the coaching staff structures.<\/p>\n

EP Rugby CEO, Charl Crous, confirmed that Mangweni, who played for the Southern Kings<\/a> in the British and Irish Lions tour in 2009 and who has been a key player for the EP Kings<\/a> since 2010, would be moving across to the coaching team, where he would assist with the defensive structures.<\/p>\n

Crous said Mangweni, aged 34, would hold the defensive coach position for the Vodacom Cup, and would assist with defensive coaching within the various other EP Rugby structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been fighting in the trenches for Eastern Province Rugby<\/a> for a number of years and I\u2019m sure that there are a number of 12s and 13s out there that are really glad that Tiger is hanging up his boots and is exchanging it for a whistle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Crous said, due to the lack of a defensive coach in the EP Rugby structures at the moment, as Michael Horak would only be joining EP Rugby after the Varsity\u00a0 Cup, Brendan Venter had attended a training session on Monday 6 January 2014 where he had assisted Mangweni with aspects of defensive coaching, kickstarting his coaching career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome Tiger to the coaching structures and wish him all of the best going forward,\u201d said Crous.<\/p>\n

Mangweni said it had been tough for him to make the decision to move across to coaching, as he would not be able to join his teammates on the field during games anymore, but that it had been a decision that he had been thinking about for quite some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of my age as well, I think it is about time now, I knew that this time would come and I am looking forward to the new role,\u201d he said.
\nMangweni, who played the majority of his career at fullback, said his move to centre three years ago had been a challenge, but had given him the opportunity to work on his defence, as he had more contact with opposition players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the move from Fullback to Centre came out of the blue, but it also helped as I was starting to lose some of my pace,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

Mangweni, who has played 208 professional games in his career, said that while there was never a right time to stop playing, he felt that he was ending his playing career on a high, having been named EP Rugby\u2019s player of the Year for 2012 and being nominated as a contender for SA Rugby\u2019s Player of the Year for the 2013 ABSA Currie Cup 1st Division season.<\/p>\n

EP Rugby President, Cheeky Watson, said Mangweni\u2019s appointment highlighted the commitment to develop players from the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to develop players of colour when it comes to coaching at the highest level, and it is always easier to develop someone who has already played at the highest level, as he knows and understands all the structures and disciplines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think where Tiger gains the respect is that we saw very very clearly that when he played at number 12, he didn\u2019t shy away from tackles and didn\u2019t shy away from defence, he almost relished defending and tackling, so it was a no brainer when it came to his entrance into the defensive structures when it came to Eastern Province Rugby,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Watson said he felt that Mangweni had the potential to coach at the highest level, not only as a defensive coach, but as a head coach at the highest level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe defence structures are really just his entrance into the coaching system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

EP Kings captain, Luke Watson said from a players\u2019 point of view, Mangweni had nothing but their undying support and said the team was very excited to be coached by Mangweni.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think that having someone like Tiger, not only the rugby player but the person, pioneering and leading the EP Kings and developing the talent coming through, just makes sense on every possible level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Cheeky<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheeky Watson hands Tiger Mangweni his coaches whistle.<\/p>\n

\"Coach<\/a><\/p>\n

New EP Rugby Defensive Coach, Tiger Mangweni<\/p>\n

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