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Ex-Bok and a Lion the final pieces in Scarlets' coaching ticket
The Scarlets have confirmed their coaching lineup for the upcoming 2023-24 season, featuring some notable additions to the team.
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As exclusively revealed by RugbyPass last month, former Ireland and British & Irish Lions international Jared Payne has been appointed backs and attack coach.
The New Zealand born Payne enjoyed a successful playing career before transitioning to coaching. He started his rugby journey at Waikato and played for prominent Super Rugby teams such as the Chiefs, Crusaders, and Blues.
In 2011, Payne joined Ulster and went on to represent Ireland 20 times. He also had the honor of touring New Zealand with the British & Irish Lions in 2017. After retiring due to injury in 2018, Payne took on the role of Ulster’s Defence Coach, working alongside current Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel. Payne recently began his coaching stint at Clermont Auvergne, leading their defense. At the Scarlets, he will serve as the backs coach and provide support to attack specialist Peel.
Albert van den Berg, the former Springboks lock, will step in as the forwards coach, taking over from Ben Franks who has returned to New Zealand.
Van den Berg is highly regarded in South African rugby as a top forwards and lineout coach. He has been with the Emirates Lions since 2021 and boasts an impressive record of 51 caps for the Springboks.
Van den Berg began his coaching journey at the Sharks Academy, working as a forwards coach and lineout specialist, before eventually becoming an assistant coach for the senior Vodacom Cup squad. He then spent three years as an assistant coach for the Canon Eagles in Japan before achieving success in the Currie Cup with Griquas.
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Meanwhile, Ulster’s Shane Carney is to become the Scarlets’ new head of athletic performance.
Carney, currently the athletic performance and conditioning coach at Ulster, previously worked with Peel at Ulster and held the position of head of strength and conditioning at Hull Kingston Rovers rugby league side.
The additions of Van den Berg, Payne, and Carney complement the existing coaching team, which includes Dwayne Peel as the Head Coach, Gareth Williams overseeing the Defense, and Emyr Phillips handling Contact Skills & Scrum.
Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel said: “Albert, Jared and Shane are exciting additions to our coaching team and we look forward to welcoming them to Parc y Scarlets this summer.
“I know Jared and Shane well from my time with Ulster. I worked with Jared for three and a half years and he is a quality coach who will be great for our talented crop of young players, in particular. Similarly, Shane, who is a highly-rated performance coach with a real focus on detail.
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“Albert brings with him a wealth of experience from his time coaching in Japan and South Africa. He has the experience of playing more than 50 Tests for the Springboks and comes here with a real pedigree as one of the most highly regarded forwards and lineout coaches in South Africa.”
Peel took the opportunity to thank Ben Franks for his contributions to the Scarlets. He said that Franks played a significant role in cultivating a strong pack culture within the team and played a key part in developing the club’s talented group of young front five forwards.
Franks now embarks on the next chapter of his career back in New Zealand.
Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to comments