Chch coaching aid for rugby in Samoa

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 32

Chch coaching aid for rugby in Samoa

Two prominent Canter-1 bury footballing figures,' Laurie O’Reilly and Alan Taylor, have been chosen by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to hold a coaching programme in Western Samoa in January. The assignment is part of a scheme which was approved at the Pacific Rugby Conference at Lincoln College last year. Already a team consisting of Dave Millar (Dunedin), this year’s test referee, and| Gareth Head (Wellington), a] former provincial prop who] Is now a coach, has repre»ented the N.Z.R.F.U. in a

I programme of instruction in , 'Tonga. 1 Mr O’Reilly is the union's regional advisory coach for Canterbury, South Canter1 bury, Mid-Canterbury, and, 1 the West Coast and has guided the fortunes of the ’'University A senior team for (several seasons. Mr Taylor has been one of Canterbury’s top referees for many years and has had ; international experience. Their task will be to proll vide the basis of a coaching) i structure for Samoa. They i) will work with players and •coaches. i Both men are looking for-

ward to the trip, which will begin on January 3 and last for two weeks. “In other countries you often encounter problems ; which cause you to revise ! your basic approach back home,” said Mr O’Reilly. “The day you think you know everything about coaching you may as well give up.” The two Christchurch men will have at least one valu-j j able contact in Samoa. George Meredith, who was the manager of the Samoan team to Tonga last year, once played at lock for Canterbury University sen-.

Mr O'Reilly is rapidly j becoming a globe-trotter in i rhe name of rugby. In 1975,' ; under the auspices of the: ' Commonwealth Institute, he coached in Britain, in 1976 he assisted teams in Japan, and last year he coached in Tonga during a trip funded (by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs.