Rugby: Penney finally awarded higher honours

Rob Penney. Photo / Getty Images

Canterbury coach Rob Penney has finally been awarded with higher honours with his selection as head coach of the World Championship winning New Zealand Under-20 team.

Penney, who coached Canterbury to their fourth consecutive national provincial title this year, has missed out on several top jobs in New Zealand, most notably the Hurricanes and Chiefs head coach roles.

He has been head coach of Canterbury since 2006 and was assistant coach for three years before that. He has also held roles with the Canterbury Rugby Football Union Academy, the New Zealand Rugby Union as a development officer and as chief executive at the Marlborough Rugby Union.

Penney will be assisted in the under-20 role by newly-appointed Wellington Lions coach Chris Boyd and Waikato and Chiefs assistant coach Scott McLeod, who played 17 times for the All Blacks from 1996 to 1998.

The under-20 side will defend their IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa in June next year.

NZRU general manager of professional rugby Neil Sorensen said Penney had developed a winning mentality at Canterbury.

"Rob has built a reputation for turning young Canterbury sides, with many players away on All Blacks duty, into championship winning teams. He has proven his ability to get the best out of our future star,'' he said.

A panel consisting of NZRU board member and former All Blacks captain Graham Mourie, NZRU high performance player development manager Paul MacKinnon and high performance coach development manager Mike Chu made the appointment.

An NZRU press release stated that this year's coaches Mark Anscombe and Jason O'Halloran were not considered for reappointment, a consistent policy because the role is considered key to the development of coaches.

Forty seven players have been selected to join a New Zealand Under-20 development camp in Palmerston North from November 21-28.

The Under 20 development camp players are: Gafatasi Su'a (Auckland), Ofa Tuungafasi (Auckland), Junior Tofa-Va'a (Auckland), Sean Brookman (Auckland), Albert Nikoro (Auckland), Malakai Fekitoa (Auckland), Milford Keresoma (Auckland), Jordan Lay (Auckland), Jake Heenan (Auckland), Michigan Lam (Auckland), Bryn Hall (Auckland), Nathan Harris (Bay of Plenty), Jeff Thwaites (Bay of Plenty), Martin Swart (Canterbury), Jordan Taufua (Canterbury), Nick Ross (Canterbury), James Schrader (Canterbury), Taniela Manu (Canterbury), Jimmy Tupou (Counties Manukau), Ihaia West (Hawke's Bay), Rhys Marshall (Hawke's Bay), Michael Gardner (Manawatu), Tepasu Thomas (Manawatu), Hamish Northcott (Manawatu), Mac Sykes (Northland), Glenn Preston (North Harbour), Jack Whetton (North Harbour), Pita Ahki (North Harbour), Soloman T.Pole (Otago), Hugh Blake (Otago), Scott Eade (Southland), Michael Fatialofa (Southland), Martin McKenzie (Southland), Tuki Raimona (Southland), Reuben Northover (Tasman), James Lowe (Tasman), Mike Wells (Tasman), Jamison Gibson-Park (Taranaki), Jacob Proctor (Waikato), Eli Atkins (Waikato), Haami Martin (Waikato), Fraser Armstrong (Waikato), Joe Latta (Wellington), Christian Lloyd (Wellington), Ope Peleseuma (Wellington), Matt Proctor (Wellington), Eric Sione (Wellington)