Coach Leon MacDonald well advanced in his planning

The 2016 Mitre 10 national provincial rugby championship is still some six months away although new Tasman Makos head coach Leon MacDonald is already well-advanced in his planning for the season ahead.

MacDonald took over from Kieran Keane as Tasman's head coach after last year's national provincial championship, with Keane now part of the Chiefs Super Rugby coaching team.

MacDonald has been joined this season by former Hurricanes and Cardiff coach Mark Hammett as his assistant, with former Tasman captain Andrew Goodman also appointed as skill development coach. Goodman played 53 games for the province.

According to MacDonald, the planning for this season began while Keane was still involved last year, particularly in relation to the recrutiment and retention of players.

"That's been constant really," MacDonald said. "While Kieran was here we discussed a lot of players, where the team's heading and where we need to go to and it was good to have his input and his opinion around that.

"We've got a lot players contracted already and feel pretty comfortable in that space."

MacDonald said that Hammett's role as coach of the new Japanese Sunwolves Super Rugby franchise wasn't an issue and that they were constantly in communication with each other. Goodman will also initially be involved as defence coach until Hammett completes his Super Rugby commitments. 

"[Hammett's] been through tough times and he's come out the other side of that. We've had a lot of success in the last couple of years [but] if things don't go right, you've got to have guys around you that have been there before and experienced it and know how to cope with that situation.

"And Andrew Goodman's a good guy, a genuine Makos man who loves the team and who will work really hard, he's got a great work ethic. So I think between the three of us, I'm really comfortable with how things are going and I'm really happy with the guys I've got around me."

With 16 Tasman players involved in this year's Super Rugby campaign, Monday February 1 will kick off a week of testing for a group of around 35 players, including contracted players not involved in Super rugby and others identified as "genuine Makos contenders". Those players will be tested "both physically and skill-wise as a base-line" or point of reference from which to establish a training programme. 

"We'll establish our programme and the content of that programme [based] on what comes out of the testing."

Of more concern to MacDonald are some of the experimental rule changes proposed for this year's provincial competition, including the use of two referees, six-point tries and a more contentious one-metre off-side rule.

"A lot of thought has gone into how that's going to affect our game, which is going to be significant," he said. "So I'm talking with Glenn [strength coach Glenn Stewart] at the gym and making sure that we're getting the right sort of conditioning work in and now, with Andrew on board with skill development, making sure that we're getting that right and that we're all set to go for February 1 in terms of our training.

"I know there's a lot of coaches, myself as well, who are really concerned about the impact it could have on the game. The metre off-side line [is] significant, that changes the whole game.

"It's not just tidying up an area, it's actually changing the game and it's going to have a massive flow on. Two referees is a good idea I think as long as they're clear around who's calling what and their roles and responsibilities.

"But I'm particularly concerned about this metre off-side line. It's going to make it pretty tough in defensive terms. I can understand what they're trying to do, they're always trying to improve the game, but to make multiple changes I think is dangerous. And you never really get a true reflection on what's working and what's not when you've got three or four new things happening at once."

Still, MacDonald's excited about what lies ahead.

"It's a big job, I've got no allusions about that and I'm excited about the role. I had two years when I did this part of the season when Kieran was away with the Highlanders so the pre-season preparation stuff is not new to me. It's probably more when we get into season when the pressure comes on."

 - Stuff