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'He got by on the fact that he was smart': Why former wing Cory Jane is a perfect defence coach for the Hurricanes
As a player, outside back Cory Jane was known for his powerful fend and deceptive pace. It therefore came as somewhat of a surprise when, having retired from the game in 2017, Jane was elevated into Wellington’s coaching ranks as a backline defensive coach.
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After all, Jane was usually a vital cog in ensuring tries were scored – not trying to snuff them out.
The 37-year-old impressed in his time with the Lions, however, and in 2020 was brought into the Hurricanes set-up as defence coach for the Super Rugby side he previously represented as a player.
Jane’s quick elevation up the ranks surprised many fans and pundits who’d previously been so enamoured with the fullback-cum-wing at the 2011 World Cup, when Jane helped the All Blacks claim the title on home soil.
In 2020, the Hurricanes conceded 42 tries, placing them smack bang in the middle of the NZ sides. Jane’s former teammate, TJ Perenara, was full of praise for his new coach when questioned early in the season.
“The way he works and the way he sees the game is second-to-none,” Perenara said. “A lot of people think ‘winger’ and don’t think ‘defence’, but wingers are the most important person in defence. They understand the systems, they understand offensive shifts, they understand where we’re vulnerable on defence.
“Having someone who thinks that way about defence in our environment is infectious to the players that have to be out on the field.”
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The Hurricanes were forced to let go one of their coaches following the season, due to budgetary constraints, and skills coach Carlos Spencer was the unlucky man to get the chop – which perhaps places an extra onus on each of the team’s remaining coaches heading into the 2021 season. Former Crusader and Munster flyhalf Tyler Bleyendaal has also joined the team’s coaching ranks.
Hurricanes head coach Jason Holland appeared on Sky Sports’ The Conversation podcast to discuss the coming year and co-host Joey Wheeler questioned how Cory Jane the player has transitioned into Cory Jane the coach.
“[Jane is] another guy that I’ve done a bit of work with and he’s a real hard case rooster and we’ve all seen him in the All Blacks environment – funny guy,” Wheeler said. “People probably didn’t realise that coaching was the pathway he was going to take … It’s happened quite quickly, not the natural path again. He’s gone out of playing maybe three years ago, straight into a coaching environment.”
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Holland naturally backed Jane’s ability and, like Perenara, highlighted the skills that Jane brings to the fold thanks to his time spent representing the All Blacks in the outside backs.
“The thing’s you’ve mentioned there are things I challenged him on when we first sat down to talk about whether he’d come on board with us,” Holland said.
“CJ has got an awesome rugby brain, especially defensively. In his last couple of years playing, he got by, his legs didn’t move that fast, but he got by on the fact that he was smart, could get into the right spots and he was picking things off and turning teams in because he’d get in the right spot. His transfer of knowledge to the boys has been awesome.”
Holland also praised Jane’s willingness to learn and develop.
“The big thing we talked [was] around having that growth mindset and he 100 per cent wants feedback, takes things on, changes his behaviour. If he gets feedback that he can something better, he’ll do it. He’s going through the roof around his development around that.
“I know the thing that we love is that he’s really driven to get things right but we can relax and have some fun with CJ as well.”
Jane played 65 matches for Wellington, 123 for Hurricanes and 55 for the All Blacks – including six games at the 2011 World Cup. The former sevens star managed 18 tries for the All Blacks throughout his career.
2021 will mark the second and final year of Jane’s initial contract as defence coach for the Hurricanes with the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition kicking off in late February.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to comments