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Welsh legend Stephen Jones joins Tana Umaga at Moana Pasifika
Welsh rugby legend Stephen Jones will join former All Black Tana Umaga in the Moana Pasifika coaching ranks next season, the New Zealand-based franchise confirmed on Tuesday morning.
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Following the Crusaders announcement on Monday that Test centurion Leigh Halfpenny has signed on for the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, Jones is the second Welsh great to pen a deal down south.
Jones, 45, earned more than 100 Test caps as a player and is widely considered one of the greatest players in Welsh rugby history. Jones was also part of Warren Gatland’s coaching staff at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
But after moving on from his role as Wales’ attack coach last year, Jones is set to embark on an exciting challenge as one of two newly appointed assistant coaches at the club for the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Additions at the helm 🔥
Read more: https://t.co/T9gAjfM9op 📖 pic.twitter.com/l8XccViZNA
— Moana Pasifika Rugby (@MoanaPasifika_) November 6, 2023
“I’m excited to join this organisation and I’m looking forward to the new challenges of the Super Rugby Pacific competition,” Jones said in a statement.
“I am excited to bring my perspective to the style of rugby played in the Pacific and the Southern Hemisphere and help the next crop of Pasifika talent flourish.”
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There’s no denying Jones’ importance to Moana Pasifika ahead of the new campaign. Jones brings a fresh perspective and an attacking flair to the franchise which represents Samoa and Tonga.
Jones won a Six Nations Championship, a Welsh Premier Division title, a Celtic Division title and two tours with the British and Irish Lions as a player. That experience will be invaluable.
“He brings a different style of thought process to us as well as the necessary skillset for our attack and kicking strategy,” Head Coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga added.
“He’ll also be able to develop our first five-eighths and game drivers which is crucial for not only Moana Pasifika but Samoa and Tonga as well.”
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While Jones will look over the backs, Moana Pasifika has confirmed that world-class rugby guru Toaigaotumua Tom Coventry has been brought on as the forward’s coach.
The three-time Super Rugby champion has an impressive rugby resume which includes stints with the Blues, Chiefs, New Zealand Schools, New Zealand U20s and Manu Samoa. Coventry also spent four years as a Co-Head coach of a then-ITM Cup-winning Hawke’s Bay outfit.
“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m grateful to be part of the Moana Pasifika organisation,” Coventry said. “It’s exciting to be working with Tana as we commit ourselves to creating a very successful rugby franchise.
“Moana Pasifika are filled with extremely talented rugby players and I look forward to bringing out that potential and contributing to the team’s success.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Dickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
1 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to comments