Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate / Sport

Woodward prepared to help steer the Blues' backline

Northern Advocate
6 Jul, 2010 05:44 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Northland coach  Bryce Woodward will apply for the Blues' assistant coaching position and, if successful, he doesn't see the job affecting his position with the Taniwha for this year's ITM Cup.
The Blues franchise are expected to advertise current assistant coach Shane Howarth's job sometime this week. The specialist backline role would suit Woodward, particularly with his current knowledge of the Blues set-up after he coached the Blues development team this season.
"Obviously, the Blues are determined to raise their standards and they're going to look for the best man for the job. I have no idea how to rate my chances but I'd be disappointed if I didn't get an interview at least," he said.
But Woodward believes if he was to land the plum coaching position, he would be able to complete his contract with the Northland Rugby Union.
"I think a head [Super rugby] coach would struggle to coach a provincial side while an assistant could probably carry on coaching until the job comes into effect," he said.
A lot will obviously depend on the quality of the applicants and despite media reports over the weekend linking All Blacks back coach Wayne Smith to the job - Woodward was fairly sure that was just speculation.
"I think he's made it pretty clear that it doesn't suit him - he lives in Christchurch - and I think he's more interested in helping out behind the scenes, rather than coaching week in week out," he said.
Woodward wasn't surprised to hear that Howarth's position would be advertised this week after the 2010 season review process was completed.
"I knew that he had struggled with his review last year and while there was improvement this year, it still wasn't as good as it could have been," he said.
Howarth has been encouraged to re-apply for the position but Woodward said the process of advertising the position is anything but a paper exercise.
"Last year, the recommendation by the review committee was that the position should be advertised - but it wasn't, so this year they are advertising so I don't think it's smoke and mirrors here. I think the job is genuinely up for grabs," he said.
The role would be a challenge for the Northland coach,  whose contract with the NRU runs until the end of the 2010 season.
"It's not just about the performance of the team, it's all the work around the development of players and the analysis and everything else they do over the course of the year. It's a full-on job," he said.
 
 
 

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Premium
Northern Advocate

Rupeni Caucaunibuca: Rugby’s greatest talent was never fulfilled

17 Apr 12:30 AM
Northern Advocate

Ninety-year-old’s passion for pickleball encourages all ages

10 Mar 11:00 PM
Northern Advocate

Rural Games success for Toa Henderson

10 Mar 08:16 PM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Premium
Rupeni Caucaunibuca: Rugby’s greatest talent was never fulfilled

Rupeni Caucaunibuca: Rugby’s greatest talent was never fulfilled

17 Apr 12:30 AM

The Fijian winger who had the world at his feet and the potential to surpass Jonah Lomu.

Ninety-year-old’s passion for pickleball encourages all ages

Ninety-year-old’s passion for pickleball encourages all ages

10 Mar 11:00 PM
Rural Games success for Toa Henderson

Rural Games success for Toa Henderson

10 Mar 08:16 PM
Happily Ever Wahfter: Lance O’Sullivan marries doctor fiancee in Vegas after game proposal

Happily Ever Wahfter: Lance O’Sullivan marries doctor fiancee in Vegas after game proposal

04 Mar 09:04 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP