Tasman Makos succession plan well in hand
Fiji Schools captain Lemeki Cagialau is among a host of rising young talent signed to a Tasman provincial union development contract.
The Tasman Rugby Union's chief executive Tony Lewis is "extremely confident" that the bulk of this year's Makos squad will be back for another crack at next season's national provincial premiership crown.
Although Tasman lost 43-27 to Canterbury in Saturday's premiership final, it still capped a significant run of success over the past four years in which time Tasman won the championship final, featured in two premiership finals and another semifinal.
Record-breaking first five-eighth Marty Banks and centre Kieron Fonotia had already confirmed their departures, to Italy and Wales respectively, earlier this season. But Lewis said that those two established players aside, the emphasis was to "try and re-sign the majority of this year's squad" to provide some important continuity after another successful national provincial championship campaign.
Lewis said that the union had already locked in a key group of nine young players to two-year contracts with loose forwards Shannon Frizell and Ethan Blackadder and lock Pari Pari Parkinson joining forwards Siua Halanukonuka and Andrew Makalio and backs Billy Guyton, Alex Nankivell, Trael Joass and Tima Faingaanuku among a core of players around whom the union expects to build even more success over the next few years.
Tasman captain Shane Christie, experienced lock Alex Ainley and winger James Lowe are all back on the books and All Blacks No 8 Liam Squire has signed on for another three years. However, his availability is clearly dependent on his progress at international level after not being available for Tasman this season due to his All Blacks commitments.
Halfback Finlay Christie had also signed for two years earlier in the season.
"The rest we're still in negotiations with," Lewis said.
The Tasman board has also invested $40,000 in several provincial union development contracts (PUDCs), inlcuding Marlborough College's Samuela Moli and Nelson College's Sosefo Vaka, Willy Havili and Leicester Faingaanuku, brother of current Tasman winger Tima Faingaanuku.
Nelson club players, hooker Brendan Asomua-Goodman and No 8 Isaiah Miller, Wanderers prop Drew Petelo and current Tasman squad member Tim O'Malley complete the contingent of local players. Flanker Braden Stewart has still to commit.
The union has also signed four Auckland secondary schools stars, Lemeki Cagialau, Rupena Parkinson, Teahiwaru Cirikidaveta (all from St Kentigern College) and Kings College's Jamie Spowart to PUDCs.
Cagialau, a lock or No 6, captained this year's Fiji Schools team, while Cirikidaveta plays lock or No 8. Parkinson, a centre or wing, is the cousin of Pari Pari Parkinson and Spowart played fullback for this year's New Zealand Barbarians Schools team.
"Young kids these days are looking for a pathway, a connection with the coaches and a connection with the playing group," Lewis said. "And if you get all of those three things right, you're away. And I think if you look at what we've done over the last three or four years, we've always tried to build on our success.
"It looks quite good, but can we make it better?"
Lewis said the union's had quality coaches ever since his arrival at the end of 2013 and this year "had taken it to another level" with head coach Leon MacDonald and his assistants Mark Hammett and Andrew Goodman.
MacDonald is halfway through a two-year contract and Tasman are determined to re-sign Hammett for another season.
"Leon MacDonald has been an outstanding head coach. The work that he's done...shows me that New Zealand has one of the best young coaches coming through and I'd hate to see him lost in the system where he's only an assistant because he's head and shoulders above most people his age as a head coach.
"We've had a history of employing coaches that weren't from the region and if we can grow our coaches from within, that's what we're going to try and do. And Andrew's a classic one of those, where we're looking hard at growing him to be the best coach he can possibly be.
"I think we've got a jewel in the crown there and I think he's going to be an absolutely super coach."
Tasman's strong links with the Crusaders Academy had also played a key role in the union's success, Lewis said.
As for Tasman' efforts this season, Lewis said he was "absolutely rapt" with the team's development.
"They've grown immensely as a group and that development has been assisted by an outstanding coaching group and an outstanding group of young leaders."
