Experienced former Sharks XV, Griquas and SA Under-21 coach Swys de Bruin has been appointed as the new assistant coach for the Golden Lions.

The experienced coach who spent many years within the set-up at the Sharks in Durban, brings extensive knowledge of the South African domestic scene.

De Bruin began his professional rugby career with the Sharks in 1996, where he was appointed as the Coaching Co-ordinator.

In 1997 he steered the Sharks U21s to National Champs success as head coach. He was also the head coach of the Wildebeest side in 1998.

De Bruin was head coach at the Griquas from 1999 to 2003. During his tenure at the Union, he was selected to coach the SA u21 team in 2001.

De Bruin was involved in the Sharks Academy in 2004, when he was appointed head coach. He also assisted the Sharks senior squad as Super XV Skills Coach during this time.

He coached the Sharks XV, Sharks U21 and Sharks U19 sides between 2005 and 2011. In 2012, De Bruin worked as the High Performance coach at the Sharks.

De Bruin said that he is looking forward to joining the Union and assisting head coach Johan Ackermann in executing his plans for the season ahead.

“I am excited to join a proud Union like the Lions,” said De Bruin.

“I have the utmost respect for Johan and I believe we will work well together to get the Lions back to where they belong.”