Letter from the chairman: Director of Rugby position explained
With the announcement last week of the appointment of Matt Saunders as Director of Rugby, a new role for the union, Rugby Southland thought it best to provide further detail into the role
With the announcement last week of the appointment of Matt Saunders as Director of Rugby, a new role for the union, Rugby Southland thought it best to provide further detail into the role, how it came to fruition and how it aligns with the representative and Stags HP space.
A letter from the Chairman Murray Brown:
Rugby Southland and our board have been driving numerous improvements within the organisation as rugby like all sports has suffered through Covid impacting the game at all levels of participation.
Rugby Southland have identified a number of key areas that require more focus and are keen to change the landscape across all sectors of the game to make some significant improvements.
The board along with input from the passionate staff introduced a refreshed strategy that is supported by an in-depth operational plan which will assist in the delivery and execution over the next three years.
The strategy has 5 key pillars:
- Performance and Pathways
- Financial Sustainability
- Community Engagement and Equality
- Game Development and Talent Retention
- Thriving Culture
The recent focus has been to ensure Rugby Southland has the right capability and skill to support and drive these five pillars across the business.
General Manager Steve Mitchell has now been in the role for over two years and continues to make positive incremental improvements, the Commercial , Community and Academy teams have all been strengthened and are working well to drive improvements within the game for the benefit of the wider community.
As part of the review, it was identified in previous seasons the Stags have had what some may call “career coaches”, so we haven’t resourced the focus on development of our local talent in a number of areas of our game including coaches and players, the women’s game and retention at a teenage level, which are critical areas for the future of Rugby in Southland.
The Board and management identified we needed to do it differently if we are really serious about developing the game from grassroots to representative and support the current strengthened organisation structure we now have in place. The best way forward was to review the expertise and system required to meet these new demands.
The new role of “Director of Rugby” was seen as a key step in driving and overseeing this whole programme which is a similar model used in other codes and parts of the globe.
The key functions of the role are supporting the growth and development of the game across the whole local rugby system, this includes coach development, player pathways and talent identification, supporting the growth of woman and girls rugby, recognise ways to support referees and ensuring all support services are fit for purpose..
The role is not a “Head Coach” but a leadership resource for Co- coaches James Wilson and David Hall ,who will also be supported by Daryl Thompson for the 2023 season.
The Director of Rugby role will be responsible for making the managers of various areas more accountable for their delivery and overall outcomes.
Another position that has been recently established is a Woman’s Activator role to support the growth and development of our women’s and girls’ game across the region.
It was a key factor that we attracted a strong local candidate who understands the regions rugby demographic. We were pleased with the calibre of all interviewees and look forward to Matt Saunders taking on the role and contributing to the Rugby Southland team.
It was important to provide some clarity on this role to our partners, stakeholders, and the wider Southland rugby community as we appreciate and recognise our strong loyal base. It is also considered important that we communicate our vision clearly, so this is well understood.
Other areas we have focus on is building and re-establishing a better relationship with the Highlanders, review of Board capability, working with ICC to assist planning the future of Rugby Park and improving the financial position of the organisation.