Thorne happy to take his time as coach
It would be mischievous to suggest former All Blacks captain Reuben Thorne got his job as Canterbury forwards coach because he could recite a special code or execute a secret handshake.
There’s no point denying the Canterbury, and the Crusaders often look within when appointing staff. So when new Canterbury head coach Joe Maddock confirmed Thorne, an old team-mate, would be his offsider for the upcoming Mitre 10 Cup it hardly sparked an unruly debate.
But it would spurious to say Thorne got the job because he knows how Maddock likes his sausages cooked.
Had the 43-year-old, who played 50 tests from 1999-2007, wanted his coaching career to be fast-tracked we may have seen him well before now.
Instead Thorne elected to take a more modest route. He worked with the High School Old Boys club side in 2011 and 2012, and was also involved in a technical advisory role with Japanese club Honda. He then began his job as Christ College head coach in 2016.
His work with the private school team will continue.
Thorne played under a catalogue of high-profile coaches: Wayne Smith, Robbie Deans, Steve Hansen, John Mitchell and Graham Henry among them. All, he said, influenced his views on the sport.
‘‘You try and plug out the best bits and see what works best for you.’’