Rugby: Jed keeps his head up over coaching role

By Wynne Gray

An optimistic Jed Rowlands returned from a troubled Auckland Blues trip to South Africa hopeful of coaching in the national provincial rugby championship and gaining a repeat appointment for next year's Super 12.

Rowlands said he was committed to that dual possibility, excited initially about taking some young Auckland players into this year's NPC.

His Super 12 status would be decided by the New Zealand Rugby Union and he hoped they would look to the future with him and the Blues.

That NZRFU decision will not be made until July, while the board of the Auckland Rugby Union is likely to discuss Rowlands' NPC appointment next month.

That board met last night with the chief executive Geoff Hipkins expected to submit his regular interim report and commentary on the Blues' season.

Hipkins said a full appraisal on the Blues would take place after the Super 12 series when there would also be an NZRFU review of the franchise.

Rowlands appeared upbeat about his rugby future after the last week in South Africa when the Blues have lost twice and he has had to deal with reports of player dissension and rifts in the camp.

"Yeah, definitely," he said about his coaching career, "I want to coach the NPC side now that the Super 12 is coming to an end."

Quizzed about his frame of mind after reports of player rebellion, Rowlands maintained such revelations were exaggerated.

"The stories from home were pretty damning but in some ways it was not so bad because it was so far-fetched really," he said.

"I don't know where it is coming from but I felt for the loved ones and friends when the criticism was coming while we were so far away, and that was the hard part."

The situation was nowhere near what had been written and he hoped people would understand where the Blues were at. He remained confident of the support of the ARU board and the Blues squad.

At no stage did he feel undermined by players and that gave him confidence for the NPC.

An urgent concern though was getting the side organised for Friday night's match at Eden Park against the ACT Brumbies - a side who could yet contest the playoffs if they got maximum points for a win against the Blues and the other results favoured them.

With just three days to prepare the Blues, Rowlands wondered why that obstacle had also hit his side. It seemed an unusually quick turnaround for sides returning from South Africa.

Injuries have complicated selection with Paul Thomson, Charles Riechelmann, and Craig Innes unlikely starters and Michael Jones, Mark Carter and Joeli Vidiri also struggling.

The Brumbies, who lost to the Blues in the 1997 Super 12 final, have been able to pick blindside flanker Jim Williams after he passed a fitness test on an ankle problem which eliminated him from the previous game with the Highlanders.

ACT Brumbies: Joe Roff, Mark Bartholomeusz, Stirling Mortlock, Iliesa Tunivula, Rod Kafer, Craig McMullen, George Gregan, Gordon Falcon Brett Robinson (capt), David Giffen, Justion Harrison, Jim Williams, Patricio Noriega, Jeremy Paul, Bill Young. Reserves: Graeme Bond, Craig Wells, Ipolito Fenukitau, Troy Jacques, John Langford, Rod Moore, Marco Caputo.