Four expected to seek rugby position

Press, 27 November 1987, Page 36

Four expected to seek rugby position

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

and the Hornby senior coach for the last three seasons, John Phillips, have been submitted; those of the incumbent, Doug Bruce, and the former Canterbury and All Black fullback, Fergie McCormick, are expected before the deadline. Mr McCormick previously stood for the Canterbury A selector-coach position in 1982, the year in which Alex Wyllie took over the reins. Since then he has remained active in coaching, assisting with Canterbury B, Canterbury

Two nominations have been received for the job of selecting and coaching the Canterbury A rugby team next season and two more are believed to be in the pipeline. Nominations for Canterbury A, Canterbury B and Canterbury Colts selectors will close with the Canterbury Union on December 7.

The names of the Canterbury A assistant coach last year, Andy Holland,

Colts and Canterbury under-18 teams. Mr Phillips who, along with Mr McCormick, was a Canterbury team-mate of Mr Bruce for .many years, met with coaching success at Kaiapoi before assuming control of a struggling Hornby senior squad in 1985. He has taken that team from the bottom rungs to a middle-of-the-table position and Hornby is now recognised as a competitive force. After being Mr Wyllie’s assistant for five years, Mr Bruce fended off three

rivals for the No. 1 job last season. Although Canterbury did not have the best of records in 1987, Mr Bruce intimated at the season’s end that he would like a second year with the top team, Last year, Mr Bruce was elected on the first ballot, gaining more than 50 per cent of the vote to end the aspirations of lan Burdon, Laurie O’Reilly and Mr Holland, who, soon after, accepted an invitation from Mr Bruce to become his assistant.