Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
15 September 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Gallo Images
Swys de Bruin, a former Kovsie, has been appointed as the new Director of Coaching at the Shimlas.

A former Springbok assistant coach and a coach involved with the FNB Shimlas when they lifted the 2015 Varsity Cup will be steering the ship at the University of the Free State (UFS) over the next few years.

The UFS has appointed two renowned coaches – both alumni – in Swys de Bruin and André Tredoux as the new Director of Coaching and Head Coach of the Shimlas, respectively.

The duo will start in November 2021, with De Bruin at the helm for two years and Tredoux for three years. De Bruin, a former Springbok attack coach and a current SuperSport analyst, will be in charge of the UFS coaching structures, working alongside Tredoux at the Shimlas.

Tredoux returns to the UFS after being the head coach of the Nelson Mandela University for the Varsity Cup. He takes over from Pote Human. Human had a one-year contract with the Shimlas and has been appointed head coach of the Houston SaberCats in America.

More new faces

Another new addition to the coaching team is Tiaan Liebenberg. The former Bok was an assistant coach at the Central University of Technology in the 2021 Varsity Cup.

Hendro Scholtz and Rashied Isaacs will stay part of the UFS coaching team. 

Liebenberg, Scholtz, and Isaacs all played for the Shimlas. 

Jaco Swanepoel, Head of Rugby at KovsieSport, says the UFS is excited about what lies ahead.

Wealth of experience

De Bruin has an extensive coaching CV and has been involved with teams such as Griquas, the Sharks, and the Lions. He was an assistant coach and head coach at the Lions, winning the Currie Cup and being Super Rugby finalists in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

“It is a great privilege to get the services of someone like Swys,” Swanepoel said.

“The other coaches and the players will benefit a lot from working with him.”

Tredoux has coached at Slava Moscow in Russia, at the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan, at Paarl Boys High, and was the U19 Head Coach and Head of Recruitment at the Cheetahs.

André Tredoux returns to the University of the Free State, where he has coached
before, to take up the role as new Head Coach of the Shimlas.(Photo: Supplied)


At the UFS, he was the Shimla performance analyst in 2015, assistant coach of the UFS Young Guns who won the 2014 Varsity Cup, and head coach of the 2015 Young Guns that came second in the tournament.

“André has walked the road with us before and has since gained experience in Japan and Russia,” Swanepoel said.

“His recruitment knowledge also speaks volumes. He was the recruiter in 2014 and 2015 when the Young Guns and the Shimlas won the Varsity Cup, respectively.

“It is great to have him back.”

The new Shimla coaching staff:

Swys de Bruin (Director of Coaching), André Tredoux (Head Coach), Hendro Scholtz, Tiaan Liebenberg, Rashied Isaacs (all assistant coaches), Mark Nicholls (Conditioning coach), Edith Maritz (Physiotherapist).


News Archive

School of Open Learning opens at our South Campus
2011-08-23

 

Prof Daniella Coetzee, Dean of the School of Open Learning at our South Campus

The University of the Free State (UFS) established a School of Open Learning at the South Campus in Bloemfontein. The activities of the new school are driven by a central principle: opening up access to those who have not had the opportunity to study at a higher-education institution because of geographical location, socio-economic circumstances or other factors. Programmes are delivered through a blended-learning model, which blends contact teaching with distance education. A new dean, Prof. Daniella Coetzee, was appointed to guide the establishment of the school.

The school will collaborate with the different faculties, and is currently managing the continuing education-sponsored endeavours of the Faculty of Education. These include projects for in-service training of teachers in Mathematics, Natural and Physical Sciences, Languages, Literacy, Economic and Management Sciences, Technology and various areas of Management and Leadership.

Apart from the training of currently serving teachers, the school and the Faculty of Education are also involved in the professional training of FET-college lecturers, and have recently been awarded an R17m injection by the Flemish Government to develop programmes and to further deliver in this area.

Collaboration with the Faculty of Law has also led to the prospect of managing a B.Iuris. programme aimed at the police force, commencing in 2012.

The University Preparation Programme (UPP), offering particular generic and optional subjects for students to enter into the formal university programmes, will also form part of the School of Open Learning.

 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept