Former Springbok and Rugby Union all-time great Bryan Habana says Boks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick has what it takes to lead the world rugby champions one day and is one of the coaches to look out for in the future of South African rugby.
Stick, 39, has been an integral figure in the Springboks technical team that won back-to-back rugby world cup titles, particularly at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, where the Boks made history by lifting the prestigious Webb Ellis a record fourth time.
Having briefly played under the mentorship of Stick during the tenure of Allister Coetzee from 2016 to 2018, Habana said it was only a matter of time before the Port Elizabeth-born coach gets an opportunity and is exposed to a head coaching role.
“I was fortunate enough to work with Stick in my couple of years with the Boks with Allister Coetzee and he has definitely been a part of an incredible mentoring process over the last eight years – not only under Allister but also under Rassie [Erasmus] and Jacques
[Nienaber] as well,” Habana told Sunday World.
“We also got the likes of Deon Davids [Springboks assistant coach] who has been around for a while and has coached at the URC [United Rugby Championship] level.
“Mzwandile has never really had an opportunity to hold a head coaching role and maybe he first needs to be exposed to that.
“But I also think that you can’t ask for better mentors [Coetzee, Erasmus and Nienaber] than what he has currently had over the last eight years and hopefully SA Rugby is looking at that developmental pathway for him.
“He has been very vocal on Chasing the Sun [Springboks documentary series] and other various things – I think his humility, ability to engage and be personable both on and off the field has been the thing to admire.
“Rassie has taken the role as head coach for the next four years, but Stick is a good man who has contributed immensely to the success of the Springboks team in the last four years, and hopefully that stands in good stead of what’s to come.”
