Western Province Rugby is entering an exciting new era after a revamp of its leadership structure, which sees Johan le Roux appointed as the new CEO and John Dobson the new director of rugby.
This is the result of decisive action taken after the conclusion of the recent equity deal, which saw the Red Disa Consortium secure a controlling shareholding last week.
Le Roux – who is a major role-player in the Red Disa Consortium as head of Fynbos Ekwiteit and is the son of Capitec Bank founder Michiel – will fill the vacant position of WP Rugby CEO with immediate effect.
He has already started working in earnest with Dobson and the new board to align the business with the aspirations of the team and their supporters.
Le Roux will be assisted by former WP Rugby CEO Rob Wagner, who has been brought in for an interim period to assist with operational aspects of the business.
“This team has the potential to be a global rugby powerhouse, given the talent in the region and unrivalled love for the game among its supporters,“ Le Roux said yesterday.
“We want to ensure that the business standards match that of the rugby programme, and help propel the team to even greater heights.
“It is crucial that we run a sustainable model, which will ensure our strength into the future, and we have already made some fairly big steps in this regard in a short space of time.
“There is every reason to be excited about what the future holds for the Stormers.“
Dobson’s new position will not change his role in the senior team, but rather see him playing a more central role in contracting and the development of talent through the junior structures.
“My love for this team and the rugby people in this region is well-documented and I will continue to put everything I can into making our rugby as strong as possible,” the Stormers coach said.
“As director of rugby, I will now be looking more broadly at the rugby environment in our organisation, and planning for where we want to go, as well as overseeing the current squad and our mission to make Cape Town smile.”
These developments come after WP’s head of rugby, Dave Wessels, recently moved to SA Rugby as the general manager for high performance.
WP Rugby stated previously that Wessels had “set up key structures that will ensure the future strength” of the professional teams during his two-year stint, and had “played a significant role in securing the investment of the Red Disa Consortium”.