Image was supplied by Eunice Nieuwenhuys

The Mpumalanga Rugby (PTY) Ltd has made a final decision with regards to their coaching staff for the first half of the year. They proudly announced late last week that MJ Mentz will be the head coach for the duration of the 2015 Vodacom Cup series.

“The screening process for the appointment of a new coach for the Absa Currie Cup Premier league has already begun, but this doesn’t mean that MJ can’t hand in his CV too,” Pieter Burger, Managing Director of the MPU (PTY) Ltd said.

But, who is MJ Mentz really? One thing is for sure, MJ is a thoroughbred Puma, as he not only played for the Puma schools team way back in 2000 as matriculate of Ermelo High School, he also represented the province at the SA Schools tournament the same year. He completed his B.Com Accounting degree at the University of Potchefstroom where he played 43 games for the Leopards. There after he was called up for duty in Kimberley at the GWK Griquas before he joined the Pumas again in 2009. In between he also formed part of the Blitzbokke for several years.

Mentz perceive himself as a family man, who wants to share his personal and Christian values with the team. He married his wife, Janine in 2008 and is a proud father of a two-year old boy, Marco. “Before I continue, I want to thank God for trusting and giving me this opportunity. It’s only an honor to live out my sport dreams. One of our goals for this year will certainly be to respect each other, as a team and as individuals, with each playing our specific roles in the squad. In my marriage, we try to uphold these principles and I want to share this with the team and management. The secret to our success this year will certainly lie in our communication skills and a shared goal,” Mentz said.

Mentz said that the last two years coaching under the mentorship of coach Jimmy Stonehouse was a great stepping-stone in his coaching career. The way Stonehouse maintained discipline in the squad was a huge encouragement and now Mentz want’s to add his way to the existing system. “I think myself and Jimmy shared the same goals and this is, that small things in the sport does matter. Although players might think that the basic drills are boring, they do add to any player’s skill development. This appointment is a huge responsibility on my shoulders, but luckily I know I have the support of the team, which makes the job easier.”

“I feel my biggest will be to preserve the discipline levels Jimmy has set, but obviously with my and Cornés’ ways carved into it.”