RUGBY: Coaches in step up to U-20 team

SHANE HURNDELL | 10th March 2010

Former Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby teammates John Bird and Ross McLeod's promotion from the under-18s to the under-20s is a feature of the province's representative coaching appointments announced today.

"I've had three years with the under-18s and it's time to move on to the next level with a lot of the players we've had in the under-18s," Bird said.

The former lock who played 82 first class games for the Magpies from 1981-92 won one Hurricanes title with the under-18s in 2007 and two second placings in 2008 and last year. With McLeod, Bird is looking forward to attempting to keep the Hurricanes under-20s title in Hawke's Bay.

Last year's Hurricanes-title winning Hawke's Bay under-20s coaches, former Magpies Simon Halford and Murdoch Paewai, weren't available this year but Paewai has been retained as Hawke's Bay Sevens coach after taking the Bay to a top eight finish at the January nationals in Queenstown. Paewai and Halford are part of the Havelock North premier team's coaching staff with head coach Joe Snee.

Hastings Boys' High School coach Tony McBride and Taradale High School's Jim Williams will be the new coaches of the Bay's under-18 side.

Another of Bird's former Magpies teammates and former Magpies captain Craig Ferris will co-coach the Hawke's Bay under-16s with Jeff Franklin and they will have Clive stalwart and former Hawke's Bay B rep Dion Whaitiri as their assistant.

Last year's Bay under-16s coach Arthur Brown has retained his Hawke's Bay Secondary Schoolgirls coaching role.

Another new-look coaching team, Blair Cross of Taradale, Central Hawke's Bay's Stephen Bennett and Wairoa's Glenn Gamblin, will be in charge of the Bay's under-14 team.

Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union's player development manager, Joe Payton, and former Hurricanes halfback Richard Jarman have retained their co-coaches roles with the Hawke's Bay Development side and Cheryle Heremia will again coach the Hawke's Bay Tuis.