Kiwis assist with new scheme

Press, 13 May 1987, Page 52

Kiwis assist with new scheme

Canterbury’s most- 1 capped rugby league forward, Barry Edkins, is to j spend 10 days playing and coaching in Inver- i cargill later this month i as part of a new scheme j to consolidate the sport ] in Southland. 1 Next month the very ] experienced Auckland forward, Owen Wright, 1 will spend a similar 1 period in Dunedin. i The two former inter- ; nationals attended the 1 Australian national ] coaching course at the j University of New Eng- 1 land in Armidale last j January. Wright holds a ] Level 1 coaching certificate and Edkins the |

higher Level 2 grading. George Rainey, the president of the New Zealand Rugby League, announced the scheme earlier this week and said he was especially pleased that Edkins and Wright had agreed to participate. Only the third player to exceed 50 appearances for Canterbury, Edkins toured Australia, Britain and France with the' Kiwis between 1978 and 1980. Wright retired from international football a few months ago after playing in 16 tests since 1982. While in their adopted provinces Edkins and

Wright will play for the leading clubs of last season to put into practice the theories expounded at coaching sessions. - “Schools, schoolboy club teams and under 17 and under 19 players will get most attention,” said Mr Rainey. “This is where our future seniors and representatives come from.

“There is nothing significant about the plan being initiated in the far south,” he said. “Otago and Southland have been fairly neglected areas in rugby league terms, but progress in the last season or two has been good and we think a scheme such as this will encourage players and administrators.” Mr Rainey said rugby league coaching in New Zealand had prospered under the guidance of Bob Hall, of Auckland, who took over from Graham Lowe as national director , of coaching. “I have asked him to find a means of having all our Kiwis, Junior Kiwis and some leading provincial players qualify for coaching certificates as we plan louse them more for this type of task in coming seasons,” said Mr Rainey. In effect, Edkins, Wright and the Southland and Otago leagues are

the guinea pigs In an ambitious new scheme to develop the sport nationally, he said. Other leagues will have guest players on a regular basis as the scheme continues, with emphasis placed on developing clubs strengths in the junior and intermediate age groups. JOHN COFFEY