Former Springboks Women star growing her career though the Gallagher High Performance Academy
Jackie Kriel started her sporting life as a physiotherapist, but it’s as a full-time rugby coach that she now aims to make her mark.
Kriel was working as a physiotherapist for a women’s rugby team when the coach suggested that she might like to start playing the sport.
It was a suggestion that led to Kriel representing her country on the international Sevens circuit and sparked her interest in moving into coaching herself when she stopped playing.
Kriel is now backs coach for both the Potchefstroom Dorp club and Leopards provincial outfit women’s teams, as well as head coach of South Africa Students and Potchefstroom-based North-West University women’ sevens team. She has also returned to her original profession as a physiotherapist, with the Northwest Dragons provincial cricket team, but would like to devote herself full-time to rugby coaching now that she has completed her time at the Gallagher High Performance Academy.
“The programme equips female coaches with the necessary skills and confidence to coach at professional level,” Kriel told World Rugby.
“Working full-time as a physiotherapist and coaching after hours makes it difficult to reach my full potential as a coach.
“With coaching at the moment, I only get to the field session and gym training. Then it feels I am missing out on the planning, selection criteria, player development and meetings with the team.”
Through the programme, Kriel has benefited from exchanging ideas with other high performance coaches from across the rugby world, to develop her own coaching philosophy.
“The Gallagher High Performance Academy has given me the tools to improve my soft skills, to get the best out of my players and team,” she said.
“I am hoping to now be a better coach in different aspects of the game – technical, tactical, planning and driving high performance behaviours.”