Army West Point Athletics
Men’s Rugby Announces Johannes ‘Neets’ Gericke as Associate Head Coach
August 04, 2026 | Men's Rugby
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point men's rugby has announced Johannes "Neets" Gericke as its associate head coach heading into the 2026 Fall season.
Gericke joins the staff led by head coach Matt Sherman as well as current assistant Danny Breda.
"I am very excited for this new adventure. I have always admired the work rate and discipline of the Army rugby team. To have the ability to work with these men and staff daily is a blessing," said Gericke.
"We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Gericke to the Army Rugby family. He brings an outstanding résumé as both a player and coach, having worked at the highest levels of the game and already making a positive impact on many of our players throughout his career," said head coach Matt Sherman.
"Beyond his rugby knowledge, he brings tremendous expertise in leadership and mental performance that will be a tremendous asset to our cadet-athletes. Most importantly, though, Neets is a person of exceptional character whose values align perfectly with the mission of West Point and the culture we've built within Army rugby. He won't just be an outstanding coach, he'll be an exceptional mentor who will help develop young leaders of character.
"We're incredibly excited to welcome Neets, his wife Melissa, and their young daughter to West Point and the Army rugby family, and we can't wait to begin this next chapter together."
Gericke comes to West Point from Charlotte, N.C., where he served as the USA Rugby Men's U-20 Head Coach.
With USA Rugby, Gericke was responsible for the identification and development of USA Rugby pathway talent in support of USA Rugby and the Anthem. He also fostered an efficient, high-performance atmosphere by closely collaborating with coaches, medical staff, performance team and other departments.
Gericke also served as Mental Performance Consultant at Anthem Rugby Carolina in Charlotte, where he worked with pro rugby players to enhance mental performance through tailored tools, improving on-field effectiveness.
From February 2023 to November 2024, Gericke held the role of Men's Pathway Forwards & Defense Coach at USA Rugby, where he coached USA Rugby Men's 15s pathway, facilitating their development for senior national team selection.
Before arriving at USA Rugby, Gericke served as Academy Director at Rugby ATL from January 2022 to January 2023, where he spearheaded community engagement efforts, and oversaw youth high school and academy programming.
From 2020 to 2023, Gericke was also Rugby ATL Pathway 404 Head Coach, where he enhanced player development in the southern US and assessed players for Rugby ATL Academy selection based on skills and performance metrics. The first year of his stint as Pathway 404 head coach, Gericke also played on the club's senior side from 2020-2021.
Gericke's first job in coaching was as a graduate assistant at Life University from 2016-2020.
Gericke is a 2015 graduate of Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where he is originally from.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Rugby on X @ArmyWP_MRugby and on Instagram @armywp_rugby. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about men's rugby and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Gericke joins the staff led by head coach Matt Sherman as well as current assistant Danny Breda.
"I am very excited for this new adventure. I have always admired the work rate and discipline of the Army rugby team. To have the ability to work with these men and staff daily is a blessing," said Gericke.
"We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Gericke to the Army Rugby family. He brings an outstanding résumé as both a player and coach, having worked at the highest levels of the game and already making a positive impact on many of our players throughout his career," said head coach Matt Sherman.
"Beyond his rugby knowledge, he brings tremendous expertise in leadership and mental performance that will be a tremendous asset to our cadet-athletes. Most importantly, though, Neets is a person of exceptional character whose values align perfectly with the mission of West Point and the culture we've built within Army rugby. He won't just be an outstanding coach, he'll be an exceptional mentor who will help develop young leaders of character.
"We're incredibly excited to welcome Neets, his wife Melissa, and their young daughter to West Point and the Army rugby family, and we can't wait to begin this next chapter together."
Gericke comes to West Point from Charlotte, N.C., where he served as the USA Rugby Men's U-20 Head Coach.
With USA Rugby, Gericke was responsible for the identification and development of USA Rugby pathway talent in support of USA Rugby and the Anthem. He also fostered an efficient, high-performance atmosphere by closely collaborating with coaches, medical staff, performance team and other departments.
Gericke also served as Mental Performance Consultant at Anthem Rugby Carolina in Charlotte, where he worked with pro rugby players to enhance mental performance through tailored tools, improving on-field effectiveness.
From February 2023 to November 2024, Gericke held the role of Men's Pathway Forwards & Defense Coach at USA Rugby, where he coached USA Rugby Men's 15s pathway, facilitating their development for senior national team selection.
Before arriving at USA Rugby, Gericke served as Academy Director at Rugby ATL from January 2022 to January 2023, where he spearheaded community engagement efforts, and oversaw youth high school and academy programming.
From 2020 to 2023, Gericke was also Rugby ATL Pathway 404 Head Coach, where he enhanced player development in the southern US and assessed players for Rugby ATL Academy selection based on skills and performance metrics. The first year of his stint as Pathway 404 head coach, Gericke also played on the club's senior side from 2020-2021.
Gericke's first job in coaching was as a graduate assistant at Life University from 2016-2020.
Gericke is a 2015 graduate of Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where he is originally from.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Rugby on X @ArmyWP_MRugby and on Instagram @armywp_rugby. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about men's rugby and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Saturday, October 29
Sunday, October 02
Friday, September 09
Saturday, April 16