Rugby: Steamers start search for coaches

Kevin Schuler will have to reapply for his job if he is to remain in charge of the Steamers next season. Photo / Andrew Warner

The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is calling for patience in building a young, homegrown ITM Cup side, but is casting a wide net for coaching staff.

The head and assistant coaching roles at the Steamers will soon be up for grabs, with the incumbents forced to throw their hats back into the ring alongside other applicants.

"We are planing to advertise around October 20," said Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers.

"The coaching role will be advertised. That was always our intention - both coaches are off contract and it was always the intention to advertise those roles at the end of the season.

"That's when they'll be out there, for a couple of weeks until about October 31. We'll go through the process from there."

Rogers was unsure whether head coach Kevin Schuler and assistant coach Rodney Gibbs would be among the applicants for the positions.

"I haven't really spoken to them. Obviously they were focused on this season first and foremost, which was important ... we'll go through those reviews with them and have those conversations as well."

Rogers said the organisation was turning its attention to the season review.

"The Chiefs support us with that, which is great. We have really good systems and support mechanisms with them, and we have robust reviews we go through with the players and the management. That will be completed over the next week or two."

Rogers called for patience from supporters for a long-term plan that centred on developing young players from the club competition.

"There were some disappointing results obviously, we want to perform better on the field. We knew it was going to be a year where we were rebuilding. We've got a plan in place to build a team out of club rugby. I think that links to the club competition - we need the strongest club competition possible to link to the Steamers.

"We think there has been some good growth and we need to stick with this group, and grow it. That's going to take some patience but we need to stay the course with this group."

He argued the side, which had the worst for and against in the Championship division and scored fewer points than any side in either competition, was not far away from relevancy on the national stage.

"I think, they were, at times, competitive this year. There were games we feel like we should have won. The Northland game, we feel like we could have won that one and Manawatu was a close loss."

He used the last-round loss to Waikato as an example of one that had got away.

"We were there and we watched it with the Waikato team and the management of the Chiefs and they thought it was a game that Bay of Plenty could have won."