About Omar Mouneimne
Omar Mouneimne has been a pioneering professional defence coach for 23 years, since 2006. His career spans Super Rugby with the Stormers and Sharks, international rugby with Italy, and top-flight club rugby with Edinburgh, Stade Français, Lyon, Worcester Warriors, Bristol Bears and Exeter Chiefs — winning the European Challenge Cup and Vodacom Cup, and working alongside Rassie Erasmus, Nick Mallett and Jacques Nienaber.
Omar was also behind numerous notorious top Defences — notably the Sharks in Super Rugby conceding the least points against — as well as building the impenetrable Stormers Defence with Jacques Nienaber.
Now in a new phase, Omar consults for teams and coaches around the world through Guardian Angel and The Defence Revolution, installing elite defensive systems remotely and on the ground. He has coached in every top league in world rugby and now brings that knowledge directly to you.
Background
South African Omar Mouneimne has been a pioneering Defence Coach since 2006.
The former mixed martial arts fighter has a wealth of experience coaching at the top level.
Mouneimne began his coaching career in 2006 with South Africa's Sevens team in the World Series before moving to Super Rugby side the Stormers in 2008, helping them reach the 2010 Super Rugby final.
He also worked with Western Province as they reached the semi-finals of the Currie Cup in 2009 and the final in 2010, while the Under 21s and Under 19s both won their competitions.
In 2010, Mouneimne moved into international rugby as Defence Coach of Italy where the Azzurri beat defending champions France in 2011 for the first time ever in the Six Nations.
A spell at Southern Kings followed before Mouneimne moved to Edinburgh Rugby, where he was part of a team that reached the European Challenge Cup final in 2015 before a stint at Lyon in the Top 14.
He previously worked with former Warriors Director of Rugby Gary Gold at Durban-based Sharks, helping them reach the Super Rugby quarter-finals in the 2015 season.
During his time at Sharks, they boasted the fewest points conceded and the second-fewest tries conceded out of all 18 teams in the Super Rugby competition that year, despite being drawn in what was considered as the toughest Conference as it included five teams from New Zealand.
Mouneimne, who spent four years with Worcester Warriors, also worked as a coach at Pumas in South Africa, at Stade Francais in France, and spent two years with the Bristol Bears, where they were top of the league for one year and had the best stats on defence too.
Testimonals
"Omar is a world-class coach. He's absolutely superb in his specialised field of defence, collisions and the breakdown, and is certainly the best I have ever worked with. He's been my right-hand man and done a fantastic job during what was an extremely challenging Super Rugby season, just as he did in last season's unbeaten Currie Cup run."
“Omar is an outstanding coach, who I would not hesitate to recommend to any coach or team. He is passionate, intense, exceptionally hard working and very knowledgeable about the game and will be an asset to any league or team that he is involved in.”
“It is my opinion that Omar is on par with all international coaches I have worked with, and against, where he would prove to be a valuable asset to any team and league he operates in.”
"We've been put through our paces by Omar, the defensive coach. I think he's been probably one of the biggest differences this season to me and the rest of the boys. I think I just took that same energy from the Sharks to the Springboks.”
“Having played against Edinburgh for Newcastle in a friendly last Friday, I can tell you first hand that their work at the defensive breakdown is impressive. Coach Omar Mouneimne has enthused the Edinburgh players and given them free-reign to cause disruption at the breakdown with swinging legs, counter rucking and jackling all in evidence last week, and indeed against Leicester the week previously.”
"Edinburgh have gone 225 minutes without conceding a try which wing Dougie Fife believes is a result of the systems their former defence coach South African, Omar Mouneimne, put in place.
Omar was a big loss, but I'm sure he is still looking at how we are doing to see how we are putting into effect what he taught us. Losing a defence coach is hard but it has almost brought us closer together.
The boys are putting in extras and defence does win you games. We are seeing big hits and turnovers regularly now."
"His massive knowledge, work ethic and unique skill set really sets Omar apart from most other coaches I have seen or have worked with."