New coach Fourie wants Boksburg to conquer league with attacking rugby
Former Boksburg Rugby Club forward Marcell Fourie (30) is the club’s new senior team coach.
Fourie has taken over the reins from Stephen Nel, who has joined opposition and Reiger Park outfit East Rand United (ERU).
The Owls and ERU are on a Peregrine League collision course this year, courtesy of an unforgettable 2015 season for ERU, who were crowned the Valke Merlin League champions.
Fourie, who was a part of one of Boksburg’s golden generations, the 2014 side who competed in the Cell C Community Cup, will have his work cut out following a trying 2015 for the Owls.
Boksburg won only two of their 10 league games last season.
Upon his recruitment, the Advertiser interviewed the Benoni High School teacher about his new challenge.
The Advertiser asked:
What are you bringing to the Boksburg Rugby Club’s first side?
Tradition. My dad used to play and coach here and the club has lost its traditional ways over the years. I want us to play a different kind of rugby compared to 10-man rugby.
The team won just two of 10 games in last season’s Peregrine League campaign; how are you planning on changing that?
Training with a different approach and with a positive attitude. It’s very important for a club when the players and coach do things positively. I can already see the guys are more motivated than last year.
What can the club’s fans expect from you and the team this season?
A more entertaining brand of rugby; therefore, attacking rugby.
One of the biggest challenges clubs face, especially amateur club sides, is the loss of players to more financially powerful entities, and Boksburg has also suffered because of this in recent past years – how big a threat is this to you doing your job efficiently?
To keep players at any club, the club must win. The key is to play winning rugby before anything else. Playing winning rugby, that’s how you keep players. The club’s committee also has some ideas in mind on how to deal with this problem, but it’s up to me to make sure we play winning rugby.
Moving right along… this could be the most exciting Peregrine season yet for Boksburg rugby lovers, with Reiger Park’s East Rand United joining you in the Peregrine League – what are your thoughts on the challenge they will bring to you?
It’s nice for the league. They’re an East Rand team, which means more East Rand players will get better exposure. Their coach, Derrick Samson, is a good friend of mine and it’ll be very nice to face him. It’s very nice that they’ve moved up.
I’m going to throw you in the deep end with this one: where do you see the club finishing on the log in your first season?
Sheesshhh…now you’re really throwing me in the deep end…
My goal is to reach the semis, so we definitely want to finish in the top four. Obviously, everyone wants to win the league, but a top four finish will guarantee our place in the semis. – @SabeloBoksburg
