Rugby: Searancke gets nod for a third season

By CHRIS RATTUE

Waikato have reappointed Kiwi Searancke as their coach for the next NPC rugby season.

A delighted Searancke said he could now start planning for the next season, after what he admitted was a disappointing year when his side finished seventh.

"I was delighted that the review process was done so quickly and I knew clearly where I stood," he said.

"After the season we had, and in a high-pressure job like this, you know and accept that your job is on the line.

"We had an informal type of review and [chief executive] Gary Dawson rang me late on Thursday night to say I still had the job."

It will be Searancke's third season in charge of Waikato.

They finished second last year, and were beaten in the semifinal in Hamilton by Wellington.

This year, Waikato lost the Ranfurly Shield after a two-and-a-half season run.

And their NPC title hopes died with four successive defeats at the end of the year.