Leon MacDonald reappointed to NZ Under 20's [NZ Rugby]
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New Zealand Rugby General Manager Professional Rugby Neil Sorensen todayannounced that Robertson, who coached Canterbury to an ITM Cup Premiershiptitle last year, will step into the lead role for next year. He brings with him ITM Cup coaches and former All Black team mates, LeonMacDonald, assistant Coach to Tasman, and Tana Umaga, Head Coach of CountiesManukau. “Scott brings some fantastic experience to this role having been a selectorand assistant to the Under 20 coaching team for several years. He alsobrings with him the experience of having been Head Coach of Canterbury forthe past two seasons. “He was a passionate and highly motivated member of the Under 20 managementlast year, and we’re delighted he now steps into this key role. He willbe joined by two exciting coaching talents in Leon and Tana. “Leon has been part of the Tasman Makos campaign and we saw them win lastyear’s ITM Cup Championship, and a promotion into this year’s Premiershipdivision, followed by a remarkable season culminating in the PremiershipFinal against the eventual winners, Taranaki just a few weeks ago. “Tana has just been magic for Counties Manukau since his very first seasonwhen the Steelers earned the coveted Premiership promotion by winning the2012 ITM Cup Championship. “All three bring a unique perspective to coaching, having played at thehighest level. As ITM Cup coaches, they have also developed a keen eyefor identifying and working with young and emerging talent in theirrespective provinces.” Scott Robertson said he was delighted with his appointment and he was excitedabout working with MacDonald and Umaga. “Those two bring a huge amount of experience with them. Both are highlyrespected by players and they bring great knowledge to their areas ofexpertise – Leon with attack, Tana with defence and in particular counter-attack. “Working with this age group is a real honour for us. We know how muchit means to pull on a black jersey and we are keen to ensure the legacy andthe heritage of the jersey continues to be represented well by the young menwe select. “For that reason, critical for us right now, is to get the selection right -and that work is already under way as we prepare to name players for ourfirst development camp later this month. “There is some great talent out there and we got to see some of that ondisplay at the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament in Taupo lastmonth. “That was an invaluable way to see boys playing in an environment similar toa JWC tournament – six games in a condensed window and playing against othersof a similar age and playing experience. That was a great platform foridentifying potential talent.” “Our campaign planning is well progressed and I’m very excited about thechallenge ahead for us,” Robertson said. The full management team for the 2015 Under 20 team has now beenconfirmed. New appointments include team manager Paul Galetta(Waikato), physio Damian Banks (Tauranga) and performance analyst BrodieHewlett (Tasman). New ZealandUnder 20 management team: • Head Coach – Scott Robertson |
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For further information contact: Juli Clausen |
