Proudfoot one of three coaches in line to become Lions' new forwards guru

Three coaches are reportedly in line to become the Lions' new forwards coach.

This Lions are looking for a new forwards guru after Albert van den Berg opted not to renew his contract with the Johannesburg franchise in April.

According to Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Rapport, Maties coach Matt Proudfoot, former Lions skipper Warren Whiteley and ex-Springbok prop Wessel Roux are the frontrunners.

READ | Troubled Lions' survey drama comes to a head as popular Van den Berg leaves coaching post

Proudfoot is a former Springbok assistant coach and recently also assisted Eddie Jones at England.

The report added that Whiteley, currently an assistant coach at the Sharks, is likely to face opposition from his current employers over a contract release.

According to the report, Roux appears to be the early favourite for the position as he is already part of the Lions' coaching structures.

Van den Berg, a former Springbok lock, was left disillusioned after launching legal action against fellow colleague Chris Venter, who allegedly accessed private messages on his laptop.

It was consequence of the fall-out from the MyPlayers survey that painted some of the Lions coaching staff in an unflattering light, with Venter apparently believing Van den Berg was the source of the leak.