Alan Zondagh leaves the Bulls
The Bulls’ experienced Director of Rugby decided to call it quits after only 14 months in Pretoria.
Alan Zondagh, who was attracted to Loftus Versfeld at the beginning of 2019 to serve in a transitional period as Director of Rugby at the Blue Bulls, left the Blue Bulls Company (BBCo) at the end of January.
The 66-year old veteran in coaching and rugby administration has stepped down due to personal reasons and to enjoy more quality time with his family.
Zondagh was appointed at the BBCo with the core vision of restructuring the High-Performance department. He has been a true servant of the game on a global stage dedicating the last 40 years of his life to this beautiful game.
Among other things, Zondagh had the difficult task of evaluating the Bulls’ professional players, as new regulations from SA Rugby allow the professional franchises only a certain number of contracted players. So, it was his job to decide which players to let go, while also helping to attract new players to fill the void caused by the exodus of stars after the World Cup.
His role will not be immediately filled. The responsibilities of the role will be shared between head coach Pote Human and CEO Alfons Meyer.
Starting in the early 80’s as director of coaching for the Western Province Rugby Union, Zondagh moved on to head coach of Eastern Province and then returned to the WP as head coach in the 90s.
He later travelled abroad coaching the London Scottish, before assuming the role of Director of Rugby at Saracens between 1999 and 2000. He thereafter became the performance director at the Rugby Performance Center between 2005 and 2017.
Zondagh then pursued his own consultancy for the next few years before accepting his role at Loftus.
Even though he will still be involved in assisting with rugby projects at the BBCo, he is looking forward to stepping back and taking some time to enjoy with his family.
“My time in rugby wasn’t about a career or job. It was truly a way of life for me. Once the Bulls gets into your blood, you can never leave it behind, so as much as I look forward to enjoying a bit of relaxation, I’m also keen to get stuck into a few projects assisting the team,” he said.
Alfons Meyer, CEO of the BBCo, heaped praise for Zondagh’s achievements at Loftus.
“Alan is a true gentleman of the game, and we were privileged to have a man of his abilities to be part of our system. He has played a massive role in the stabilization of the organization and for that we are eternally grateful. We wish him all the best with the part that lies ahead,” Meyer concluded.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
