Rugby: Glenn Moore signs on with Blues

Glenn Moore
Glenn Moore
Glenn Moore's coaching tentacles have stretched throughout the nation's south and are now heading north as he becomes the Blues' assistant coach for the next two campaigns.

He will work with the forwards and begins hands-on tuition once he completes his Heartland championship coaching campaign with Mid-Canterbury.

Moore was a loose forward with Mid-Canterbury in the early '90s before switching his attention to a coaching career in 2000 and a five-year stint with North Otago which overlapped his three years coaching the NZ Divisional XV.

With that experience, Moore shifted to work as an assistant with Otago and defensive coach with the Highlanders before being promoted to head Highlanders coach in 2008. He brought through players such as Ben Smith and Adam Thomson but results were poor.

In the three seasons he was in charge, the Highlanders managed to win just 10 of their 39 games and there was some fairly unfavourable feedback from players, Moore was not reappointed.

He moved to be technical adviser with North Otago and coached Mid-Canterbury to their Heartland title last year.

That mixed coaching resume did not put off the Blues, who announced yesterday that Moore would join John Kirwan, Grant Doorey and a backs skills coach for the 2015 Super rugby campaign.

"He was a standout candidate and he's exactly what we need at the Blues," Kirwan said.

"He's widely respected throughout rugby circles and brings a wealth of experience which is really important because we're losing a little bit of that. He's also incredibly passionate about the game and I think he'll bring a really hard edge to the forward pack."

Moore was thrilled to get another chance to be involved at the elite coaching level.

"I was really impressed with JK's vision and passion for the franchise ... I'm really looking forward to ... getting stuck in," he said.

For the past two seasons All Blacks skills coach Mick Byrne has run the Blues forwards while Graham Henry has been involved in the defensive work and tuition for the backline. Both exited this season after the Blues repeated their 2013 10th place finish.

- Wynne Gray of the NZ Herald

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