SA Rugby has appointed former England, Scarlets, and Ospreys technical analyst Joe Lewis to the Springbok management team in the role of performance analyst. He will join the team before the international season, which kicks off against the Barbarians and features two new exciting competitions in the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour.
The Welshman, who holds a master’s degree in performance analysis from Cardiff Metropolitan University and a degree in sports management from the University of South Wales, served as England’s head analyst from 2017 to 2021, and senior analyst from 2022 until the conclusion of their recent Six Nations campaign.
He has also worked as Wales’ national age-grade video analyst and Taranaki Rugby Football head analyst.
“We are delighted to welcome Joe to the Springbok team,” said Rassie Erasmus, Springbok head coach. “Given his vast experience in technical and performance analysis at international and club level, we believe he will add great value to the squad as we prepare for a busy and exciting season, and further ahead to the 2027 RWC,” said Erasmus.
“His roles have seen him gain invaluable experience at the highest level of the game – at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, in the Six Nations competition, and Autumn Nations Cup, among other big tournaments, and we have no doubt he’ll slot into our set-up seamlessly.”
The Springboks will kick off their 2026 campaign against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on Saturday, 20 June, before beginning the inaugural Nations Championship competition against England in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July).
They meet Argentina in Buenos Aires (8 August), and the All Blacks in four Tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour in August and September.
This will be followed by an away Test against the Wallabies in Australia (27 September). The second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe at the end of the year, with matches against Italy (7 November), France (13 November), and Ireland (21 November), before the Finals Weekend in London (27 to 29 November).
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