Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Highlanders add former co-captain and Super Rugby title-winner to new-look coaching staff

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

The Highlanders have announced the signing of former co-captain Shane Christie as a new member of the franchise’s coaching staff ahead of the 2021 season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Christie, who co-captained the Highlanders in 2016 and was part of the championship-winning side the year beforehand, re-joins the club as a defence coach as the coaching restructure continues in the wake of Aaron Mauger’s departure as head coach.

Mauger’s three-year contract wasn’t renewed by the Highlanders at the end of this year’s season following two quarter-final finishes in 2018 and 2019, as well as a fourth-placed finish in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Video Spacer

The “unbelievable ability” that makes Will Jordan so dangerous | Aotearoa Rugby Pod | RugbyPass

Video Spacer

The “unbelievable ability” that makes Will Jordan so dangerous | Aotearoa Rugby Pod | RugbyPass

His place as head coach has since been taken by assistant coach Tony Brown, who is set for his second stint as Highlanders head coach, leaving gaps to be filled among the rest of the coaching staff.

The addition of Christie has gone some way to filling those voids, with the 35-year-old joining a coaching group that also consists of scrum coach Clarke Dermody and skills coach Riki Flutey.

The current cohort of coaches is smaller than the contingent that worked under Mauger, with the assistant coach role left by Mark Hammett earlier this year abandoned due financial restrictions brought on by COVID-19.

Regardless, hopes remain high for Christie to implement the good work he has shown alongside Dermody in Tasman’s coaching ranks that recently helped the Mako to a second straight Mitre 10 Cup title.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Naturally I knew Shane as a player and even then I suspected he would make a good coach, he is diligent, driven and most of all very passionate about the Highlanders,” Brown said in a statement of his new recruit.

“I’m sure he will slot into our coaching team very well he already has a good working relationship with Clarke at Tasman.

“A lot of defence is about attitude and Shane has a very competitive attitude and he loves to win in other words he hates to lose, which I like as a motivating factor.”

Having played 30 times for the Highlanders between 2014 and 2017, all of which came under the guidance of Brown, Christie was excited about his return to the franchise.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Obviously I am stoked to be able to work alongside Brownie, Derms and Flutes,” Christie said.

“The chance to coach defence for the Highlanders is an awesome opportunity and I can’t wait to get to Dunedin and get stuck into our work. It’s already been a big year and this is a great way to finish it for me.”

The Highlanders will announce their 2021 Super Rugby squad at 7am on Thursday.

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 6 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 9 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.

35 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

35 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Andy Christie: 'Diversity breeds strength in a group rather than weakness' Andy Christie: 'Diversity breeds strength in a group rather than weakness'
Search