A former player and assistant coach has been appointed as head coach for the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls rugby team.
Neil Barnes, who was the team’s assistant coach in 2020, currently coaches at the Gallagher Chiefs and played lock for the region in 1986.
He replaces Taranaki Bulls head coach Willie Rickards, who finished his three-year contract at the end of 2020.
In a press statement Barnes, who has signed a two-year deal with the union, said he was grateful for the opportunity to return to coach his home province.
“I am a Taranaki person at heart, born and bred, love my province and the people in it deep down.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows me, that I am genuinely excited about returning home and taking on the head coach role.”
Barnes, who has eight years international coaching experience with Fiji and Canada, including three World Cup campaigns, said he felt fortunate to be involved with the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls team last season.
“We had our ups and downs, but we’ve got a good group of young men there who I believe will get better.”
The dairy farmer was also the assistant coach for the Bulls from 2003 to 2007, and in 2009 and boasts a wealth of Taranaki club rugby knowledge.
Between 1993-1998, and again in 2002, he coached the New Plymouth Old Boys to seven club rugby titles.
In the press release Taranaki Rugby chief executive Laurence Corlett said he was delighted about the appointment.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have secured Neil Barnes, such a high-quality coach, to lead the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls over the next two years,” Corlett said.
“Neil will add a lot of experience and old school work ethic to the head coach role, and he will lead Taranaki Rugby forward on and off the field.”
Taranaki Rugby chairman Andrew Thompson believed the coaching experiences Barnes had enjoyed during the last 10 years were impressive.
“To have someone with his international and Super Rugby experience at the helm of our Yarrows Taranaki Bulls team is exciting for all involved,” Thompson said.
Barnes will return to Taranaki after completing his Gallagher Chiefs Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, however he will work closely with Bulls players in the coming months.
The Bulls selectors and management team will be appointed in the coming weeks.
