Rugby: Brain named Portugul coach

Errol Brain. Photo / Claire de Barr

Former New Zealand Maori captain Errol Brain was today named head coach and selector for Portugul's 2015 rugby World cup campaign.

The 42-year-old Counties Manukau stalwart will take over next month, for an initial three-year term.

Having also spent seven years playing and coaching in Japan, Brain is excited by his first taste of coaching on the international stage.

"It's an opportunity to coach at a high level and I'm very passionate about rugby coaching," Brain said. "There are never any promises of rugby jobs in New Zealand so when opportunities like this come up, you've just got to take them."

Brain has spent the last five years living in Tauranga with his wife and three daughters building business interests, while coaching local club team Tauranga Sports to successive Bay of Plenty titles and taking the province's under-20 team.

For the past two seasons, he has also worked as a referee assessor for the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Brain, who captained Counties Manukau 125 times from No 8 and played Super rugby for the Chiefs, now has a sizeable challenge to get Portugal back onto the World Cup stage.

The European nation qualified once in 2007, drawn in the All Blacks pool, but missed out on making the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

"They're currently ranked 22nd in the world but want to make it to No 16, with the long-term goal of making 2015 World Cup," Brain said.

"They've had a taste of it and they really want to work hard and get back to that level."

- NZPA