Highlanders’ Brown could be an option for Stags job
Departing Otago coach Corey Brown says while he hasn’t thought about the vacant Stags coaching position he believes he could fit in a provincial job alongside his new role at the Highlanders.
Brown has been appointed as the high-performance coach for the Highlanders.
He had been head coach of Otago in the Mitre 10 Cup over the past three years and had indicated he would be open to continuing in that role.
However, his role with Otago was an all-year-round position which included roles other than just coaching Otago.
The Otago Rugby Union have indicated they want the top coaching role to remain all-yearround which rules out Brown returning because of his duties with the Highlanders.
However, if another province was happy for a coach to be in place for solely the Mitre 10 Cup campaign Brown said he was more than confident he could fill that void.
Brown said he had not given the Stags job any thought at this stage but was aware coaches were in hot in demand.
He said six provinces were on the hunt for coaches which provided plenty of opportunities.
It makes Rugby Southland’s challenge of finding a coach even more difficult if, in fact, they feel they need to search outside the province.
Peter Skelt has already indicated he wants a shot at the Stags jobs, while outside the region there doesn’t seem to be a stack of options.
Former Highlanders assistant coach Jon Preston has indicated he would like a head coaching job, while former All Black prop Dave Hewett has applied for the Canterbury job previously without success.
The Taranaki job is vacant with Colin Cooper joining the Chiefs. New Zealand under-20 assistant coach Willie Rickards is believed to be a strong contender to fill that provincial vacancy.
However, if he is overlooked by Taranaki, and has his sights on a top job, he does have a history with Southland through his time as a former player for the Stags.
The Stags four crossover fixtures for 2018 were confirmed yesterday with games against Premiership teams Auckland and Counties at home, and Tasman and Wellington away.
And Stags outside back Junior Ngaluafe is heading to Italy to play and it is uncertain if he will back to push for another contract with the Stags for the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup. The outside back is expected to play in Italy through to May which could mean a return to club rugby in Southland might still happen.
Ngaluafe shifted from Auckland to Southland in 2011 after impressing at Kelston Boys’ High School.
Injury and a form slump hindered his development and his progression at the provincial level.
However, in 2016 he finally made a mark making the Stags fullback spot his own.
It led to a national sevens call up and he was also originally scheduled this year to line up for the Provincial Barbarians in the British and Irish Lions tour opener In Whangarei.
However, he wasn’t able to build on his deeds of 2016 when this year’s Mitre 10 Cup season rolled around as he fell out of favour with the coaches.