Northwood School welcomed La Lucia resident Swys de Bruin to its coaching fraternity recently when he accepted the position as rugby Head Coach.
Swys will continue in his position as Head Coach at the Sharks Academy and The Sharks High Performance Programme while coaching the Northwood boys. He will be taking on the school’s “Rugby: 2013 and Beyond” programme aimed at getting the school into the top rugby ranks.
Swys started his rugby career as the 1st team coach at Durban North College, where he was also deputy principal, in the early 90’s. His talent was quickly spotted and he was taken on by the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union where he coached the U21 team to victory in his first year, 1997. He then went on to coach the Wildebeest (the former Sharks XV) to a semi-final in 1998.
He has since coached Griquas at Currie Cup level, the KZN U19 and U21 teams and the SA U21 team. Swys has also served as a national SA U19 and U21 selector.
Besides coaching the Northwood 1st team, Swy’s role will be to provide leadership in rugby coaching, working closely with coaches across all age groups.
He said schoolboy rugby was a real passion of his, particularly within his own community.
“We want to encourage parents in the area that they don’t have to travel for a good rugby school. It’s right here. Northwood has a proud rugby history and I believe the school has the potential to become a top rugby school and I am excited to play a part in achieving that goal,” he said.
