Bok coaches Stick and Davids in Gqeberha helping EP Elephants

Springbok assistant coaches Mzwandile Stick and Deon Davids are in Gqeberha this week to help their struggling former province Eastern Province Elephants prepare for the Currie Cup First Division.

Bok head coach Jacques Nienaber's assistants shared their expertise with the EP Under-20 side in a training session on Wednesday, the Herald reported, ahead of their SA Rugby Under-20 Cup game against the Cheetahs on Saturday.

The senior EP Elephants side, coached by veteran coach Dumisani Mhani, who was once short-listed for the Springbok head coach job, will also benefit from Stick and Davids' wealth of knowledge.

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Stick and Davids have close links to the province. Gqeberha-born Stick played for EP before his successful Sevens career. He later coached the winning Under-19 side before becoming Southern Kings assistant coach.

Davids is a former Kings head coach and steered them to impressive performances, notably in the 2016 and 2017 Super Rugby campaigns, before they transitioned into the PRO 14.

Stick joined the Springbok coaching staff under Rassie Erasmus and won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, while Davids joined afterwards in Nienaber's slightly rejigged management team.

The union has been in the doldrums since the Kings' collapse due to poor administration, which spread into the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU).

Performances under former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers didn't improve matters either and they've now started rebuilding from the ground up with club talent.

The EP Under-20 side lost 42-0 to the Lions at Ellis Park in their last outing.