He succeeds Mr Max Fuzani, who has stepped down following his appointment as a special advisor to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture.

Mr Jooste is vastly experienced in the rugby environment, having been an outstanding player and later a long-serving Springbok selector, president of the Tygerberg Rugby Club and former member of the Western Province Rugby Football Union executive.

Mr Mark Alexander, the president of SA Rugby, thanked Mr Jooste for taking on the role to complete the process of the Union’s exit from administration by SA Rugby.

“External factors, principally relating to the application to the Western Cape Heritage council in relation to the sale of Newlands, were outside of the administrator’s control and have complicated the completion of the transactions required to return the Union to financial stability,” said Mr Alexander. “However, we trust the process will be completed over the coming months.”

Mr Joost takes up his position immediately.