Johannesburg - Former Springbok lock Victor Matfield was on Thursday confirmed as the Lions' new forwards coach.



The announcement was made by the Lions Rugby Company.

Swys de Bruin officially took over as Lions head coach on Thursday following the departure of Johan Ackermann to Gloucester in England.

With De Bruin now the head mentor, JP Ferreira is the Lions' new attack coach, while former Under-19 coach, Joey Mongalo, takes over from Ferreira as defence coach.

The 40-year-old Matfield played 127 Tests for the Springboks between 2001 and 2015.



He is also a Bulls legend, having won three Super Rugby titles with the Pretoria franchise, but has now joined their rivals across the Jukskei River.



Matfield and De Bruin previously worked together as player and coach when both were at Griquas in the late 1990s and early 2000s.



Since retiring after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Matfield has appeared as a pundit on SuperSport.

Both Matfield and Mongalo will join the Lions immediately and they will stay on for the duration of the Currie Cup.

No involvement has been confirmed beyond the completion of the tournament.

Lions management team:

Head coach: Swys de Bruin

Attack coach: JP Ferreira

Defence coach: Joey Mongalo

Forward coach: Victor Matfield

Conditioning coach: Ivan van Rooyen

Team physician: Dr Rob Collins

Physiotherapist: Preven Appalsamy

Biokineticist: Jannie Klingbiel

Massage therapist: Ram Mpila and Carol Dickson

Team manager: Mustapha Boomgaard

Assistant team manager: Johane Singwane