Former world cup coach 'Otai takes charge of Poverty Bay

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

FORMER Tongan Rugby World Cup coach Manakaetau (Mana) ’Otai will coach LeaderBrand Poverty Bay in this year’s Heartland championship.

’Otai, who captained the Tongan national team at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and coached them to the 2015 world cup in England, replaces Mutu Ngarimu, who did not apply for the position after four years in charge.

“The Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union ratified the appointment of Mana last night,” Bay chief executive Marty Davis said today.

“We feel especially fortunate in obtaining Mana’s expertise.

“A former NZ Colt and All Black trialist before he captained Tonga in South Africa, Mana had playing experience at all levels of rugby before he started a coaching career that has followed a similar pathway — from club, through provincial age grades and senior teams to international level.

“Along the way, Mana has successfully completed numerous IRB and World Rugby certifications and was the standout candidate of the seven applications received for the Poverty Bay position.”

Davis said the panel were particularly impressed with ’Otai’s coaching philosophy and his proven ability in preparing teams with a short lead-in time, as well as his commitment to all levels of the game within the union, emphasising club and school development as well as the elite, and highlighting the need for intrinsic motivation improvements.

Tonga opened their 2015 world cup campaign with a surprise 17–10 loss to Georgia, before picking up their first win against Namibia, 35–21.

They lost to New Zealand, 47-9, and Argentina, 45–16, to finish fourth in the pool. This meant Tonga failed to automatically qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

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