Morne Steyn has confirmed he is in talks to extend his stay at the Vodacom Bulls in a coaching capacity when he hangs his boots up at the end of the season.
The highly-decorated flyhalf, who debuted for the Bulls in 2003 and remains the second leading point-scorer in Springbok and Super Rugby history, is set to retire from the game when his current contract expires in June.
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Nearing 40, the veteran playmaker shows no sign of a shift in motivation or quality, and his presence was felt on what was his 150th game for the Bulls, with a spectacular 50/22 kick in a URC defeat to the DHL Stormers at Loftus Versfeld.
Steyn confirmed in a statement that he would like to give back to the game, by offering his services as a specialist kicking coach for young goalkickers who need to work on their technique.
“I am in talks with the Bulls to stay with the team as a kicking coach,” Steyn was quoted by Netwerk24. “Kicking plays an increasingly important role in modern rugby and especially in the United Rugby Championship.
“I have often seen in the past how teams’ kicking is not to their liking in pressure situations and this is their Achilles heel.
“These days your counter-attacks depend so much on good kicking and without that, you can’t put the opposition under pressure.
“I have had the idea for quite some time and I believe there is a great need, especially at the school level. It is necessary that we start developing kickers at a younger age.
“There are not always teachers who can show children the ropes and I feel I can help with that. I would like to plow back in that way.
“I taught myself to kick at school. My good friend Ruan Pienaar’s father, Gysie, gave us some tips at the time, but we mostly had to learn to kick ourselves.
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“There was no such thing as a kicking coach in those days and I kicked goalposts for my school simply because there was no one else.
“When I arrived at the Bulls as a junior, Heyneke Meyer told me that I would have to pay much more attention to my kicking if I wanted to play at the highest level.
“I spent hours kicking at the posts and worked with my former kicking coach at Loftus, Vlok Cilliers (currently France’s kicking coach).
“It was during that period that I really realized how much a guy has to sacrifice and put in if you want to make it to the international level.
“Thanks to hard work and good coaching, my success rate has moved up to 80% to 90%.”
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Photo: Steve Haag Sports/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix
