Russell takes the reins as new Turbos coach
Experienced coach Peter Russell is the man charged with turning the Manawatu¯ Turbos’ fortunes around.
Russell was announced as Manawatu¯ ’s new coach yesterday, as the replacement for Jeremy Cotter, who parted ways with the union in November. Russell has been signed for two years and has the option of a third.
Aaron Good remains as an assistant coach but Russell won’t be rushing into filling the third spot on the coaching panel.
The 56-year-old Russell will arrive in Manawatu¯ next month once he has finished the season in Japan, where is coaching club side NEC Green Rockets, based at Abiko, a city in the greater Tokyo region. Russell has previously coached the Newcastle Falcons in England, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa Bush, and has been a Highlanders assistant coach, so all his experience should help the Turbos, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 2014.
The Turbos won three games and lost seven last year, while in both 2016 and 2017, the team had four wins and six losses.
‘‘They underperformed the last couple of years and there’s a lot of talent there, there always has been,’’ Russell said from Japan.
‘‘I think it’s a good opportunity to set them on a good track over the next couple of years.’’
He said consistency was the biggest thing that needed to improve and work to do that would start at training. He would look at local players, but would also consider bringing guys in if needed.
He wanted to see what players were available and would talk to his assistant coaches.
‘‘My message to the club players is: the door is always open. You have to perform and lift up the standard to be part of the Turbos’ environment and I will set that level pretty high.’’
Russell comes to Manawatu¯ after seven years coaching overseas and he said he had kept an eye on the New Zealand rugby scene.
His career in the top flight started when he coached Wairarapa Bush for three years, winning the old third division in 2005; then won the inaugural Heartland Championship the next year.
He started with Hawke’s Bay in 2007 and took them to the playoffs four times in five years.
One of Russell’s last coaching acts before going overseas was in 2011 when he was at the helm of Hawke’s Bay and they beat Manawatu¯ in the inaugural championship division final in Palmerston North.
After that he coached Newcastle for two years and led them back to the top-tier premiership.
He had a year back in New Zealand where he helped out with club coaching in Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa, as well as at the IRANZ academy, and did some work in his original trade, electrical engineering.
In 2016 Russell moved to Japan to coach NEC where he took them out of the relegation zone to be ‘‘banging on the door’’ of the top eight.
At NEC with him is former All Blacks first five-eighth Stephen Donald and former Wallabies flanker Scott Higginbotham.
Russell finishes with NEC next week, then will arrive in Manawatu¯ at the start of February.