SA Rugby has confirmed that a preferred candidate for the Springbok job has been identified and that the recommendation will be considered by the general council on 1 April.

On Friday, SA Rugby confirmed that they hoped to be able to name Heyneke Meyer's successor following the annual general meeting at the beginning of next month, with Allister Coetzee having been long touted as the front runner. Rassie Erasmus was another strong candidate considered.

'The high-performance committee examined a list of potential coaches and identified their preferred candidate against a set of pre-determined criteria,' SA Rugby president Oregan Hoskins commented. 'In broad terms we were looking for someone with a proven track record at an elite level, someone who would embrace the objectives of our strategic transformation plan, and someone who would understand the public demands of the job and what that entails.

'The executive council accepted the high-performance committee’s recommendation some time ago and the preferred candidate’s name will now be set before the general council.'

Hoskins said that the preferred candidate would not be in attendance at the council meeting as his appointment would be dependent on their decision. The AGM will take place on 1 April at the Southern Sun Hotel in Newlands, Cape Town. The meeting will start at 11am.

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