Boe ready and waiting for Samoa and Counties dual role

By PETER JESSUP

The Counties Manukau union will meet New Zealand Rugby Union management next week to clear the way for John Boe to pick up its coaching reins, but retaining those with Samoa.

Boe rates the two jobs as similar: rejuvenation is required with the blooding of new talent.

He was keen to have both jobs, he said, after returning from Samoa's European tour with a win over Italy to crow about. He is on a year-by-year contract with the NZRFU, which lent him to Samoa. The jobs would not clash too much, as the Pacific Rim tournament precedes the NPC and international tours would follow it.

"They [Samoa] want me and Michael Jones [as assistant] and I want to stay on and continue the work we've started with a lot of young players."

Seven of the 15 starters against Ireland were playing their first test, he said, and to go on to a one-man-short win over Italy to end the tour was outstanding.

Boe, several times overlooked when applying for higher honours, hopes he will get a break from the national body.

"I've certainly been loyal to them in the face of offers overseas, I still feel I have something to offer New Zealand rugby and hopefully they'll think so, too," Boe said of the planned meeting with Counties Manukau next week.

The new management of the Pukekohe-based side approached him to ask if he was interested in helping them back to division one and he regarded that as a challenge rather than a step down.

"It's important for New Zealand rugby that an area with such a large population base performs up to potential."

The transfer application deadline closed yesterday without Counties having filed to bring anyone in. Boe has met Peter Goldsmith and other Counties board members to lay out a basic plan of attack. But the changes from the top down allow him a great opportunity to mould the union's future. Three-year chairman Rod Gabb has stepped aside, replaced by Roy Craig; Rick Pickard makes way for Goldsmith, a winger from 1971-77 and two-year coach; and the new chief executive is an accountant and former Ansett signature group manager, Daniel Clifford.

Boe said he had told the new management what he thought needed to be done. All he could predict about the shape of the new-look team was that it would be "extremely young - but I think that's exciting. There's plenty of talent there.

"It's exciting because there are no [Errol] Brains there, no [Jonah] Lomus, no [Jim] Coes, but we know we can find more."

Goldsmith is hoping to tie up deals with front rower John Akurangi, loose forward Hare Makiri and halfback Danny Lee soon. Boe had talked the union into giving wayward loose forward Koula Tukino another chance, Goldsmith said - if Tukino could be found and persuaded to come back after his walkout.

The big Tongan, great in 2000, was bothered by injury at the start of 2001 and never regained that form. Boe was seeking help from island elders to ensure Tongans in the side would be looked after off-field.