Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Proudfoot exits England Rugby as Borthwick brings back veteran prop - reports

Matt Proudfoot - PA

England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot is set to leave his RFU role to take up a new gig in South African rugby.

ADVERTISEMENT

Proudfoot, who has been in his current role for just under three years, will not be retained by Steve Borthwick’s new England regime. Proudfoot coached the Springboks’ forward pack that demolished England’s scrum in the final of the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

According to Afrikaans media outlet Rapport, the 50-year-old will be unveiled as the new head coach of South African university heavyweights Maties in the Varsity Cup.

Video Spacer

Being Barbarians – Rugby Documentary

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 37:58
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 37:58
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Being Barbarians – Rugby Documentary

    Our new rugby documentary follows Scott Robertson and Ronan O’Gara in a brand new saga following the Barbarians rugby team, one of the most famous sides in the world. In this clash, they take on New Zealand XV.

    Proudfoot and Borthwick would have worked together for a year under Eddie Jones before Borthwick upped sticks in 2020 to take over as head coach of Leicester Tigers. More recently the South African was coaching alongside former England hooker Richard Cockerill.

    Proudfoot, South African born and a former Scottish international, became forwards coach having been involved in the Springboks team since 2016. The former prop was part of Rassie Erasmus’ backroom staff during the victorious Rugby World Cup run.

    He previously coached at Western Province and Stormers in South Africa and Kobelco Steelers in Japan. Proudfoot, capped four times for Scotland between 1998 and 2003, played for Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors and the Leopards and Blue Bulls in South Africa.

    According to The Telegraph, Borthwick’s first mission as England coach is to improve the scrums ahead of the Guinness Six Nations. The former Leicester Tigers coach is to bring in 35-year-old veteran Dan Cole as part of a bid to bolster their setpiece. Cole hasn’t played for England since the aforementioned Rugby World Cup final, where the English pack was dismantled by the then Proudfoot-coached Boks.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “There’s a lot of potential in the players we have and I want to produce a team that delivers, so I’m going to devote myself wholeheartedly to try to help this team deliver and be a team that we can all be proud of,” Borthwick said recently. “Ultimately on that first game of the Six Nations are we going to be perfect? No. Is it going to be exactly how the team is going to play? No. It is going to be the start but what is absolutely clear is the team needs to go out there and it needs to fight.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Wolfhounds vs Gwalia | Celtic Challenge 2024/25 | Match Highlights

    Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

    O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 2 | Ireland Week

    New Zealand vs Australia: Behind the Scenes with the Black Ferns Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | E06

    O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 1

    Argentina v Australia | HSBC SVNS Perth 2025 | Men's Final Match Highlights

    The Dupont Ploy: How France went from underdogs to Olympic gods | The Report

    Former rugby player is truly an NFL superstar | Walk the Talk | Jordan Mailata

    Boks Office | Episode 33 | Dupont's Toulouse Too Good

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    LONG READ
    LONG READ France lack killer instinct of champions after dose of rugby ‘yips’ France lack killer instinct of champions after dose of rugby ‘yips’
    Search