Scarlets: Ex-Springbok Albert van den Berg joins new look coaching team
- Published
Albert van den Berg won 51 caps for South Africa between 1999 and 2007
Former South Africa lock Albert van den Berg is the Scarlets new forwards coach.
Ex-Springbok Van den Berg, 49, replaces Ben Franks who has returned to New Zealand.
Former Ireland and British & Irish Lions international Jared Payne will be the region's backs and attack coach in 2023-24.
And Ulster's Shane Carney will assist head coach Dwayne Peel as Scarlets' new head of athletic performance.
Van den Berg began his post-playing career with the Sharks Academy as a forwards coach and had a three-year spell as an assistant coach with his former club Canon Eagles in Japan. He has been on the coaching staff with Emirates Lions since 2021.
New Zealand-born Payne, 37, played for Chiefs, Crusaders and Blues in Super Rugby before joining Ulster in 2011. Forced to retire by injury he joined the Ulster coaching staff working alongside Peel at the Irish province. Last season Payne was defence coach at French T14 side Clermont Auvergne.
Carney also worked alongside Peel at Ulster, where he held the role of athletic performance and reconditioning coach having previously worked in rugby league.
"Albert, Jared and Shane are exciting additions to our coaching team and we look forward to welcoming them to Parc y Scarlets this summer," said Peel.
"I know Jared and Shane well from my time with Ulster. I worked with Jared for three and a half years and he is a quality coach who will be great for our talented crop of young players, in particular. Similarly, Shane, who is a highly-rated performance coach with a real focus on detail.
"Albert brings with him a wealth of experience from his time coaching in Japan and South Africa. He has the experience of playing more than 50 Tests for the Springboks and comes here with a real pedigree as one of the most highly regarded forwards and lineout coaches in South Africa."