RUGBY - Collins back in dual role with Taniwha

The dual attractions of ending his playing career where it started and the opportunity to get a start in coaching sees Nick Collins back and available for the Taniwha this season.
The 32-year-old centre has returned home after six seasons of playing Japanese club rugby to join his older brother Justin in the Northland Air New Zealand Cup squad.
Collins has been studying exercise science over the last few years and, when the position became available for a strength and conditioning coach at the Northland Rugby academy - he jumped at it.
"The academy trainer's role came up with Northland and they wanted a centre as well, so the two roles were moulded together, which made it very attractive for me," he said.
With the recent retirement of David Howell from representative rugby, Collins' return to Whangarei was well timed. "There seems like there's a lot of young talent around and they'll be keeping me on my toes and hopefully I can pass on same of my experience
"With the loss of David this year and with so many young fellas around, that's probably lacking a bit."
The 32-year-old is targeting a return into Kamo Rugby Club colours for the first time in 10 years, in the match against Mid Northern at the beginning of May, after he and wife Janine and their three children, Leah (4 years), Sean (2), and Eli (6 months) spend some time with their family in Waikato.
The former Kamo High School student left Whangarei in 1995 to study Science and Technology at Waikato University, began playing club rugby for Hamilton Old Boys and was quickly recruited into the Waikato rugby machine.
Collins was picked up by Gordon Tietjens for two seasons with the New Zealand sevens team in 2001 and played his first Super-12 game for the Chiefs against the Crusaders the same year.
He was later named as the most promising New Zealand Super-12 rookie in his first season. Tietjens, also at the helm of the Bay of Plenty in their return to first division rugby in 2001, convinced Collins to transfer to the Bay. A shoulder injury during the 2002 NPC season ended Collins' season and also resulted in him missing a third season with the Chiefs. "I had to have a shoulder operation and because I'd missed some of the NPC season that year, I wasn't really in contention for Super 12. Then I got an offer from Japan and it was too good to turn down at that time," he said.
He was only 26 at the time and planned to stay in Japan for just two years.
"I'd only signed for two years and was going to come back but the way it worked out was that I stayed a bit longer," he said.
Collins' lucrative two-year contract at Sanyo was sweetened by Mitsubishi, who lured him away for three seasons before finally playing one final year at Toyota.
He enjoyed his time in Japan but still reckons there's no place like home.
"It was great for me and Janine - it was great to experience such a culture change and to get out to see a bit of the world at the same time," he said.
"But we were ready to come home, we've got kids who are nearly ready to start school, so we were keen to get back to a New Zealand lifestyle," he said.
Collins's return home is good news for Northland coach Bryce Woodward, who has already lost two of his best backline performers from last season in Holwell and Aden Dewes.
Collins' presence in the squad as a player and a trainer will be positives for the coach as he begins to coun down to the Air NZ Cup.