Regardt Kleingeld is heading back to the Western Cape with a reputation for building rugby programmes and a challenge that will test every ounce of that expertise, reviving Durbanville’s fortunes in the brutal cauldron of the Western Province Premier A league.

The northern suburbs school has hired Kleingeld in the role of Head of Rugby from 2027, bringing to an end his two-year stint at Potchefstroom Gimnasium where he came agonisingly close to achieving promotion from the Virseker Bowl division.

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Gimmies missed out on promotion in 2026 by the narrowest of margins, just 0.5 points, a heartbreaking conclusion to a rebuilding project that had shown genuine progress under Kleingeld’s leadership. But the school paid glowing tribute to his impact during his tenure.

“For the past two years, Regardt has led the programme with passion and vision. To him rugby is more than just a sport, it is a calling,” Potchefstroom Gimnasium said in a statement announcing his departure.

From rebuilding to resurrection

The challenge awaiting Kleingeld at Durbanville represents a completely different beast. Whilst Potch Gim competed in the Virseker Bowl division, Durbanville ply their trade in the Western Province Premier A league, arguably the most competitive schools rugby environment in South Africa.

The northern suburbs outfit endured a difficult 2026 campaign, winning just six from 15 matches and managing only a solitary Premier A league victory against SACS.

“I think there is a great opportunity to identify rugby talent, and evelop that talent to the point where the players don’t just succeed at school level but have the opportunity to go further. But it is about more than just achievement on the rugby field. It is about the development of young people’s character, discipline, pride and the feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves,” Kleingeld noted.

The opposition they face week in, week out provides context for the scale of the task. Paarl Boys’ High, Paarl Gimnasium, Paul Roos, Stellenberg and Wynberg represent just some of the rugby powerhouses Durbanville must contend with.

Return to familiar territory

Yet Kleingeld is no stranger to this league or the demands it places on coaching staff. Before joining Potchefstroom Gimnasium in 2024, he served as a teacher and rugby coach at Paul Roos, one of the Western Cape’s most storied rugby institutions, where he led teams with distinction.

That experience will prove invaluable. Kleingeld knows the landscape, understands the rivalries, and has proven he can succeed at the highest level of schools rugby in the province.

“What excites me is the potential i see in the school and it’s people. There is a great opportunity to build on the foundations and traditions that are already there. It is an honour to be there. I arrive with great respect for the school’s history and traditions but also with great excitement about what the future can bring,” said Kleingeld.

Cut his teeth in the far north

Kleingeld’s coaching journey began far from the Cape winelands. Hailing from the far north of the country, he made his bones as a coach at Ben Vorster, learning his trade and developing the coaching philosophy that would eventually take him to one of South Africa’s elite rugby schools.

That progression, from Ben Vorster to Paul Roos to Potch Gim and now Durbanville, speaks to a coach with ambition, adaptability and a track record of improvement wherever he’s been stationed.

The task ahead

Turning Durbanville around won’t be quick or easy. The Premier A league offers no respite, no soft fixtures, no room for error. But Kleingeld arrives with the experience, crucially, the familiarity with the competition that gives him a fighting chance.

His near-miss at Potch Gim demonstrates his ability to build programmes and extract maximum performance from available resources. At Durbanville, he’ll need every bit of that capacity, along with the patience to implement systems and develop depth.

The Western Cape rugby community will be watching closely when 2027 rolls around.