Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has made the five-man shortlist for the vacant Eastern Province Elephants head coaching role.
The Eastern Province Rugby Union confirmed that De Villiers was on the list alongside Ricardo Laubscher, who served as Springbok assistant coach under Heyneke Meyer between 2012 and 2015, as well as former Springbok wing Deon Keyser.
Also shortlisted are former Varsity Cup coaches Jonathan Mokuena, who won the title with North-West University in 2017, and Kevin Musikanth, who has served as head coach of the University of Cape Town.
Interviews for the head coach position are set to take place on December 2-3.
The EPRU is searching for a new head coach after parting ways with Chumani Booi, who left the union to take up a role with the Pumas Rugby Institute.
De Villiers, who coached the Springbok between 2008-2011, was linked with the Southern Kings coaching job last year, a position that ultimately wasn’t filled due to the franchise’s liquidation.
The successful applicant will oversee the EP Elephants during next year’s SA Cup and Currie Cup campaigns.
The SA Cup kicks off in March 2021 and EP have set their sights on qualification for the Currie Cup Premier Division by finishing among the top 3 teams in the coastal stream of the tournament.
While not everyone’s cup of tea while at the helm of the Springboks, under De Villiers’ leadership the national side won 30 of their 48 Tests.
That 62.5% win percentage included a 47% win percentage against the All Blacks, having played them 11 times, winning 5 and losing 6 of those matches.
