Roache joins coaching team

PROVEN ABILITY: Wayne Roache was named Coach of the Year at the inaugural Wairarapa-Bush rugby awards after guiding Eketahuna to the Tui Cup premier division club title last season. PHOTO/FILE

WAIRARAPA-Bush will be guided by a new coaching team for the 2015 Heartland rugby championship campaign.

The appointment of head coach Joshua Syms was announced late last year and it has now been confirmed his assistant will be Wayne Roache, who guided Eketahuna to the Tui Cup premier division club title last season and was later named Coach of the Year at the inaugural Wairarapa-Bush rugby awards.

Syms, a former Manawatu and Bay of Plenty rep in his playing days, was a technical analyst for the Southland Stags in 2013 and his coaching CV includes stints with the New Zealand Barbarians secondary schools side and the Thailand sevens squad. He also coached Hutt Old Boys teams to numerous club titles in Wellington and was in charge of St Kentigerns when they won an Auckland secondary schools championship.

Roache had three seasons as coach of Eketahuna's premier club side and was co-coach of the Wairarapa-Bush Bs in 2013.

It will be the first time that Syms and Roache have worked together on the coaching front and they are looking forward to the challenge.

Roache initially applied for the head coach job but when he missed out to Syms he was asked if he would be interested in the assistant role and was happy to accept.

That decision pleased Syms, not only because of Roache's proven ability on the coaching front but because he had a strong knowledge of the playing resources within the Wairarapa-Bush union.

"Wayne will be an ideal fit, I'm certain we can work well together," Syms said.

Roache said he was impressed by the early planning done by Syms to ensure Wairarapa-Bush would be a force to be reckoned with in the Heartland championship.

"I know it's still pretty much an amateur game at that level but he (Syms) is adopting a very professional approach, he's obviously very thorough and well organised."

For Syms and Roache, the first big test of their coaching regime will come before the Heartland matches get under way. On Friday, July 10, Wairarapa-Bush will travel to McLean Park, Napier, to challenge Hawke's Bay for the Ranfurly Shield and, while Wairarapa-Bush will start rank underdogs, their coaches are determined they will give a bold showing.

"We will be treating it seriously, absolutely," Syms said. "It's a big chance for the players to perform on a bigger stage, we're out to make the most of it."

Whether any imports will be part of the Wairarapa-Bush line-up for the shield game, and for the Heartland matches to follow, is something that will be decided closer to the time but Syms makes no secret of his desire to have any players from outside the region who are keen to play for Wairarapa-Bush join clubs and play their club rugby here.

"There's already been a few phone conservations in that respect and hopefully they will have a positive result," he said.

Syms and Roache are also giving clubs the chance to have a say who of their players should be considered for representative honours. They have been asked to forward nominations for an extended training squad and all the nominees will be given conditioning programmes and skills assessments before the club season starts in early April.