Rugby: List of coaching non-contenders gets longer

Jamie Joseph.
Jamie Joseph.
As another name bites the dust, another couple have emerged as speculation continues about who will coach the Highlanders next year.

John Plumtree was linked with the position earlier this week and after he declined to discuss his position, there was the thought he would be heading south to take over from Jamie Joseph.

But the Hurricanes released a statement yesterday saying assistant coach Plumtree had agreed to stay with the club.

He has committed to the Hurricanes for the 2017 and 2018 seasons and will continue his long-standing and close relationship with head coach Chris Boyd.

‘‘There has been some speculation about my coaching future over the past week, but my family consider Wellington to be our home and the Hurricanes are a team that is close to my heart,'' Plumtree said.

‘‘We have a great group of players and coaches at the Hurricanes and I'm glad to have the opportunity to continue working with them over the coming seasons.''

Plumtree said it was flattering to be approached by the Highlanders but his loyalties were firmly with the Hurricanes.

Plumtree replacing Joseph would have had a touch of irony, as Plumtree was the coach who introduced Joseph to coaching in New Zealand, persuading the former All Black to come down to practise and help out at Wellington B training in the mid-2000s.

As Plumtree joins an ever-increasing list of coaches who have ruled themselves out of the job, it may be a case of looking at what is left on the rack.

Former Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper has been named as a contender but it appears to be a stretch.

Cooper spent a year at the Crusaders and then was the head coach at the Hurricanes from 2003-10, where he never won a title but took the side to the final in 2006.

He left the Hurricanes at the end of the 2010 season and has been coaching Taranaki in the domestic competition for the past five years with mixed success.

But, with him having turned 57 earlier this year and just signed on with New Zealand Maori for another two years, it does seem a long shot that Cooper would head south.

Greg Cooper said last week he had not yet applied for the position but did not rule it out.

Crusaders assistant coach Dave Hewett told Fairfax Media yesterday he was interested in coaching the Highlanders but would prefer to be the head coach of the Crusaders, replacing Todd Blackadder.

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