Super Rugby Pacific: good news for the Blues in the run-up to challenging season

In troubling times, the Blues have moved to gain some semblance of certainty by holding forward coach Tom Coventry for another two years.

Coventry led the Blues since 2019 and are
The re-drawing confirms the final piece of the coaching team which will see the additions of Joe Schmidt and Auckland assistant Craig McGrath this year following the departure of Tana Umaga as defensive mentor.

As the Blues head into an uncertain Super Rugby season that will now be played behind closed doors and disrupted by the latest Covid outbreak, Coventry’s presence will provide a sense of continuity.

The forwards’ respected coach, who along with Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith led the Chiefs to consecutive Super Rugby titles in 2012-13, is eager to help the Blues get started after taking the transtasman title last year.

“It was an easy decision,” said Coventry, the former Waikato forward. “Three, four years have been really good for me here. I feel like the club is in a good space and moving forward, and I enjoy the coaching staff and the team. I’m also happy to be here at the moment. in Auckland with my family.”

Despite the country’s latest setback to red light restrictions, the Blues continue training with their first pre-season game against the Hurricanes at the Onewa Domain next week firmly in mind.

“It’s a challenge, but we’ve been through this a few times now and we know what it could look like,” said Coventry. “Good planning is underway. We have some experience in knowing how to train outside the group and how to be responsible with our social distancing.”

Being based in Auckland, the Blues are sure to be hit this season with the Omicron variety spreading at some point. For now, however, they remain focused on getting the most out of their preseason, which has been cut from the usual eight to three and a half weeks due to last year’s Covid complications.

“We are all hoping for the best, but also preparing for the worst. There is a lot of discussion going on behind the scenes and there are a few initiatives that we will take in the coming days to get things settled.

“Last year, Covid was different – ​​this one is much more contagious, so we need to be aware of some of the strategies we can use and try to reduce the risk when we go into restaurants and mingle with the public.

“We’re going to conform and make sure we’re as tight as possible, but there are definitely challenges ahead of us. We can tackle it, but that won’t help us, so we’re rattling the season in a positive mindset. We’re almost done now. to play because we want to test where we are.”