Former Springbok head coach Peter de Villiers has returned to coaching rugby in South Africa, taking charge of a national team until 2023.

According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, De Villiers has been appointed as the national deaf sevens team head coach. His appointment was confirmed by Reneen Stenekamp, president of the SA Rugby Association for Deaf Players.

De Villiers will be in charge of the team with immediate effect until the World Cup in Argentina in 2023.

“During my time as Bok head coach, I firmly believed that rugby had the power to uplift the community and, more importantly, to develop individuals who might not have had the same access to sport like others,” said De Villiers.

“When the SA Rugby Association for the deaf approached me and explained their reasons for creating two teams for male and female players who will work to play in a World Cup next year, I immediately said I wanted to be involved.

“The chance to add value to a class of rugby that I have never experienced before, to help individuals reach their potential and also to develop future leaders and finishers in South Africa is something that I simply could not pass up.”

De Villiers coached the Springboks between 2008 and 2011, winning a Tri-Nations and British & Irish Lions series title, but has most recently been involved in South African politics as a councillor in the Drakenstein Municipality.

Photo: Action Images / Jason O’Brien