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Highlanders lose out again as Delaney the latest to decide his future is best served in Europe

By Online Editors
Glenn Delaney (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

Kiwi Glenn Delaney, the former London Irish player and assistant coach, will be back working in the UK by the end of the year as he has agreed to trade in a Super Rugby defence coach role at the Highlanders for a similar position with the PRO14 Scarlets. 

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Born in Christchurch, Delaney had spells playing in Japan and in England and was part of London Irish’s Powergen Cup-winning squad in 2002, making 68 appearances for the club. He spent seven years as director of rugby at Nottingham before becoming Irish’s forwards coach, head coach and finally head of rugby operations.

Delaney returned to New Zealand to join Mitre 10 Cup side Canterbury in December 2016 and went on to lead the side to a ninth title in 10 years. He is in his second year with the Highlanders.

Delaney replaces Byron Hayward and will link up with incoming Scarlets head coach Brad Mooar in the summer once his Super Rugby commitments are over. “I am really looking forward to this opportunity at a big club who have great support and a pretty cool stadium,” he said. 

“It is an exciting prospect to try and build on the previous foundations and look for long-term success for the Scarlets. I’m excited by the vision that has been put out and the way we are going to attack it. 

“Scarlets are a side with proven pedigree who have won a PRO12 title and competed at the top end of European rugby in recent years. The opportunity to build on that and move it forward is exciting for me.”

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On the prospect of linking up with Mooar, who replaces Wayne Pivac as head coach ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, Delaney added: “We have known each other since school days in Christchurch, we go back a long way and Brad was coaching with the Crusaders while I was at Canterbury. I’m looking forward to linking up with Brad and being part of his vision for the Scarlets.”

Commenting on Delaney’s appointment, Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels said: “It is a real coup for the Scarlets to bring on board a coach of Glenn’s experience and pedigree.

“He has a huge amount of experience coaching in the northern hemisphere during his time with Nottingham and London Irish and has recently coached an outstanding Canterbury side to the Mitre 10 Cup

“He is going to be a huge asset to the Scarlets working alongside Brad and his appointment is another indication of our ambition and desire to be challenging for silverware again.”

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WATCH: The RugbyPass behind the scenes documentary on the 2018 PRO14 final featuring the Scarlets versus Leinster

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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