South African Rudy Joubert is taking over as coach of Welsh club Cardiff for the next two years.

Joubert is currently coach of Boland in South Africa's Currie Cup, the country's premier domestic competition.

He was also technical advisor to the Springboks team that won the 1995 World Cup.

Joubert was one of the leading candidates to coach the Cats Super 12 franchise in 2002 after the departure of New Zealander Laurie Mains.

This season he has steered the South African under-23 team into the final of the African Cup.

"There is nothing sinister about my reasons for leaving," Joubert told Afrikaans newspaper Die Burger.

"The offer from Cardiff gave me an unbelievable opportunity and I just could not pass it up.

"Both the Boland Rugby Union and the South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) have given me their support."

Although Boland are one of the unfashionable, smaller South African Unions, Joubert guided his side to fifth place in the 14-team Currie Cup standings last season.

He has not given up hope of coaching the Springboks, and there is a clause in his contract with Cardiff that stipulates that he must be released if he gets the national job.