Rugby: Cumberland to help coach Otago again

Former Otago prop Steve Cumberland has returned to the province and will help coach the ITM Cup side this season.

Cumberland (50) was last involved with Otago in 2009 before he went overseas to coach in Japan.

New Otago coach Cory Brown said he approached Cumberland two months ago to see if he was interested in helping out and he jumped at the chance.

Brown said Cumberland's expertise and knowledge would be a real plus for the side.

Cumberland, who played 81 times for Otago from 1988 to 1993, will be the set-piece coach, concentrating on the scrum and lineout, and will also help out in other areas.

He replaces Kees Meeuws who is standing down after two seasons due to business commitments.

Cumberland has coached for Kobe Steel in Japan and still has ties with Japan.

Cumberland said he was looking forward to the season and it was great to be back involved with Otago rugby.

He said the good thing about coming back was he had no pre-conceived ideas about players.

''It is all new to me with the players. We've got a bunch of young fellas who are keen and want to be involved in Otago rugby so that has got to be good,'' Cumberland said.

Phil Young will also assist the coaching team.

Meanwhile, Brown said the union made an offer to keep young hooker Ricky Riccitelli in Otago but the Colts rake decided to sign with Hawkes Bay.

Riccitelli (20) will leave at the end of the club season.

Brown said it was a shame to lose a player of the calibre of the Southern hooker but the union could not keep every player.

It had hookers Liam Coltman and Sam Anderson-Heather on its books.

The union had put a much work into Riccitelli over the past couple of years but it was a reality of the professional game that players would move for opportunities.

Otago had some depth at hooker as, along with Coltman and Anderson-Heather, there is University A hooker Sam Sturgess and Harbour hooker Seko T-Pole.

Riccitelli, a Taranaki product, will continue to play for Southern for the rest of the season although if he makes the New Zealand Colts side for the World Junior Championships next month he will play little club rugby.

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