Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Blues confirm new assistant coach

By Online Editors

The Blues has confirmed today that current North Harbour coach Tom Coventry is to join the Super Rugby club next season as an assistant coach.

Coventry will join the coaching group alongside Tana Umaga and Tasman coach Leon Macdonald, who were named in May.

The former Waikato player and Chiefs assistant coach is vastly experienced and successful, with two Super Rugby titles at the Chiefs. He also guided North Harbour to the semi-final of the Mitre-10 Cup last season.

In his two years at North Harbour he has had a close involvement at the Blues, guiding the Development team.

Chief Executive Michael Redman said the club was impressed with his credentials.

“We received some outstanding applications for the position but Tom stood out with his clarity and details around the Forwards’ role. His credentials as a coach are impressive and his success to date speaks for itself,” he said.

“He comes with significant support from our players who have played under him, and from our own staff who have worked with him both at North Harbour and with our Development side.

“We believe we have an excellent team of coaching staff in place as we look to make a significant improvement in our performances next season.”

Head Coach Tana Umaga said he is looking positively at 2019 prospects.

“I look forward to Tom joining the group with Leon and myself.  His experience of both New Zealand and international rugby will be of great value to our players and the coaching team.”

Coventry said he is excited at the opportunity as well as the challenge ahead.

“I am excited to be back coaching in Super Rugby again and this is an exciting challenge,” he said. “In my time in the region I have had a good chance to evaluate and be impressed by the talent here. Clearly there are unique challenges and responsibilities in this region but I believe the club has the foundations in place as well as a first-class training facility.

“I am confident with a lot of hard work that we can turn around the fortunes at the Blues and I look forward to being part of that.”

Video Spacer

Coventry will complete his duties with North Harbour in the upcoming Mitre-10 Cup competition before taking up his position.

Waikato-born and raised, Coventry played 52 games for the province and won the NPC in 1992 before moving into coaching. He had successful roles with New Zealand Schools, as co-coach of Hawke’s Bay including winning the ITM Cup Championship before four years at the Chiefs under Dave Rennie, where they won two Super Rugby titles. Coventry moved to UK to coach London Irish before returning home and taking up his current role at North Harbour where they reached the premiership semifinal.

Current forwards coach Steve Jackson did not seek re-appointment.

Mr Redman said the club will confirm their support staff roles in the coming months.

In other news:

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search