South African Rugby League followed up the recent coaching and player workshops with the establishment of the SARL Coaching Commission. The Coaching Commission was selected from the coaches within rugby league and represent all regions where rugby league is played.
The Commission has the following functions:
- Overseeing coach training, education and certification across all provinces.
- To appoint and manage the national team coaches for the senior, student, women and youth national teams.
- To establish a national coaching development program for rugby league coaches across South Africa.
- The implement a high performance coaching program for experienced rugby league coaches.
The coaching commission has been selected by the coaches and from the current coaching pool in South Africa. The establishment of the commission was approved at a general meeting held in January 2025. The members are:
- Deon Kraemer, Rabbitohs
- Gideon Fick, Rabbitohs, Board Representative
- Joe Burger, Pretoria Rugby League
- Ewan Geduld, Western Cape Wizards Coach
Richard Louw, St Helens Vultures - Christo Louw, Harlequins
- Johan Hatting, Board Representative
As part of their portfolio there has already been an IRL Level 1 Coaching Course presented in Pretoria, aimed at certifying current coaches in line with the International Rugby League standards, and Darryl Fischer, an accredited NRL High performance Coach held a few sessions in both Cape Town and Pretoria.
The next order of business would be to appoint the various national team coaches with a view towards the upcoming World Cup Qualifier in 2025 and the IRL Under19 World Championships in 2026. The application criteria and process will be advertised shortly.