URC Origins: Vincent Koch - 'There will never be another coach like that'

Hollywoodbets Sharks loosehead prop Vincent Koch is as well-travelled as it gets having plied his trade in the English Premiership with Saracens and the Top 14 with Stade Francais, before landing back in his homeland of South Africa ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Koch has worked alongside some of the best coaches the game has ever seen but there's one man who stand head and shoulders above all the rest as far as he's concerned.

So who is the best coach Koch has ever had in his career.

“Easy answer. Rassie Erasmus,” Koch tells us.

“By far the best coach that I have ever worked with, and I think in our generation there will never be another coach like that.

“The way he thinks, the way he treats the people – it's just unbelievable.

“The way he creates an environment for people to stick around and get along with each other is something that stands out the most.

“And his knowledge of rugby is just unbelieveable.

But who was the most influential coach for Koch growing up with aspirations of being a professional rugby player?

“There are two that I want to elaborate on,” Koch says.

“My high-school coach was a guy that disciplined us and made us realise what it will take to become a professional rugby player.

“He's a guy that took the naughty side out and made be a bearable kid in class, you know?

“Teachers complained a lot about me but he fixed that.

“And then Jimmy Stonehouse at the Pumas. He was a guy that taught me what hard work was and what it takes to fight and that nothing in life is just gonna be given to you.

“You have to work your way up there.

“Those two played a huge role on my career in the early stages.”