The Search for A New Head Coach?

Very distinguished playing record with Clermont for nearly 10 years then a year at La Rochelle and a year at Bordeaux as player coach. Sounds like a Booth appointment and Ruddock seems to be running proper due diligence processes on all appointments. A real contrast to the previous efforts when Hore would try and look for the any local lad that seemed to have an interest in coaching or rugby management. Let's hope this grown up sensible approach is now going to extend to all our off field management positions.

Being discussed in its own thread - here - https://ospreysfanforum.wixsite.com/mysite/ospreysfanforum/ospreys-discussions/ospreys-appoint-brock-james-as-attack-coach

I've got an update. Received a free Ospreys face-mask in the post this morning. Small gesture but nice of them all the same.

The latest rumour was that were were talking with Toby Flood as a player coach. Milldew who is generally close to the mark confirmed that original rumour on here, namely that we were talking to Flood and added another 10 was also being talked to. Don't know who that other 10 is and whether he is being considered as player coach as well.

I suspect Peel always was the favourite. Milldew has generally been on the money so far.

Personally I would love Swys De Bruin. Howley could be in the frame. Outside that not much idea.

I’m probably being ignorant, but he’s someone I know absolutely nothing about.

I think Botha is the only guaranteed tight head. Fia is too expensive for what he brings. Ghajon brings very little. Personally I would look at the young North Walian Saracens signed last year and have a good look around the english champonship where funding is being cut.

Not convinced Gardner has what it takes unless he comes as a very cheap fourth choice.

Not sure about Thornton. He doesn't seem to setting the world alight at the Blues. Shame really as he looked to have a bright future at age grade level.

@Nidum Might be better looking at young Rhys Davies at Bath. Thornton has not really cut it. We need to move on from BBBD for cost and age reasons and a nwq is a must. Hopefully the young second rows we have will supplant Ashley

I think he might be able to bring in his own attack coach and defence coach subject to Ruddock & Millward's approval. Apparently one of the reasons that Ben Herring was not considered for the role was because he wanted to bring in his own back room staff.

@ospreysfanforum A lot depends if ruddock is staying on in this EPD role. Why create the role and get a HC rather than DOR if he is not. If he is he will have a very good relationship with two young attack and defence coaches in JT and Peel who although under contract may be released if they want to come home.

Lewis very unlikely to join as he has recently signed a new contract at Worcester. Think it was for 2 years.

Looks like you read them correctly. I read an article by him in the West country press where he said the route to success was depth in the front five and forwards who can win collisions. I think this fits very much with ruddock's philosophy and where the rumours suggest Ruddock was going with recruitment. The word I heard was he felt we were undersized and therefore could not win collisions.

I suspect the likes of De Bruyn and Herring had different philosophies. It will be very interesting to see who the attack and defence coaches are. I think it will be somebody known to Ruddock or booth and I would not be surprised if Howley came into the reckoning.

@Fiddler I just read that article. It’s encouraging that he has a concise plan, and basically as he states, rugby in its simplest form, is such a simple game. You win the collisions, you usually win the game. The support coaches will be interesting, and hopefully we will soon receive news on Tips and new recruits.

@Allthewaythere

Just saw a report in WOL about the Ospreys signing Mat Protheroe a back three?ouside half player from Bristol on a 2 year deal.

Also suggested Wasps were showing an interest in Booth.

@Fiddler that clouds things somewhat.

Sounds encouraging. Isn't nice to have someone who can communicate properly, is authoritative and not spouting BS? It's good to have this sort of presentation but is there any need for the annoying background music that seems to be so fashionable these days? Interesting that he used words like we, us, our etc. Pity we can't keep him.

@Nidum As opposed to Millward penguin mumbling? Yes, it’s a breath of fresh air.

@Nidum I cannot really see any reason why we could not and should not keep him. His role should be strategic and would not need full time involvement. The current MD is ill suited to the role. He appears to have nothing between his ears and cannot string much more than one consecutive coherent sentence together. Ruddock could probably do what Millward does and some more whilst spending half his time in Dublin. Mike is one of life's gems. We don't want to lose him.

The press reports yesterday suggested sometime in the next few weeks,

I would be surprised if Ruddock did not set up a competent coaching structure before he goes and I would be surprised if he did not stay on as a Non executive director to at least bring some modicum of rugby competence to the Board. Maybe he will develop into one of those power brokers the Fail are always going on about.

What still surprises me and probably I will never understand if I live to be 100 is why he was not called in earlier, given his availability and relationship with the so called my favourite word of the day powerbrokers. His recommendation of Tadhg Berne probably was the single biggest factor in the Scarlets actually winning their pro 12 title and in Pivac getting the Wales job. I can understand the previous Chairmen Atherton and Blyth who are pretty intelligent guys falling for Hore because he was in many aspect a dynamic intelligent and charismatic type of personality, albeit with no real rugby knowledge outside of process. How on earth though could they have believed that we could function with Millward and Tandy as the fulchrum of the organisation. Neither had anywhere near the experience needed and it was obvious to all. It seems nothing more than blatant favouritism and we are now reliant on Ruddock to do one hell of a job to ensure survival.

Well first point is be careful with that journalist. He is close to Short and Osprey failure is a plus for them. Also in fairness he says waiting. It may be that he is worried we won't get anybody. I have heard the senior players are still very unhappy with how senior people handled the Clarke/ sending players to press conference issue.

I think Herring could be great but could be a disaster. He is a very unusual type of character who has walked away from a job to go travelling.

Booth on the other hand is solid. Hogg could also handle defence and he and Booth the forwards. Hogg has turned our driving maul into pretty much our only try scoring threat. We have had years of other coaches who had no idea how to create a driving maul. If you could then persuade Swys de Bruyn to be attack coach which is where he has excelled previously rather than as head coach then you start to have a reasonable coaching structure. No more local lads with relatively low rugby intelligence and no previous experience in charge. The social science experiment with Millward Tandy and Lloyd hopefully finally consigned to the dustbin of history

@Fiddler in fairness Mark Orders has written the article on icwales and he is trusted by senior Ospreys officials.

@paul.rogers83 thanks just read the Orders version on line. He seems to have picked up a lot of Fail terminology like power brokers at the region. Who are these power brokers? Are any of them blameless for the effects of the sports science experiment that we were left with in 2015? Perhaps Davies and James on the basis they were looking in from a distance. Hard to excuse the likes of Blyth and Atherton for their more active part in the shambles. It is not as if Mike Ruddock has not been available at any time in the last 10 years or so to conduct this review.