FRESH CHALLENGE: Richie Harris will coach the Northland Taniwha in their 2015 ITM Cup campaign. PICTURE / SUPPLIED
FRESH CHALLENGE: Richie Harris will coach the Northland Taniwha in their 2015 ITM Cup campaign. PICTURE / SUPPLIED
Richie Harris was appointed as director of rugby and head coach of the Northland ITM Cup side earlier this week.
The 46-year-old Tamaki College deputy principal secured the position with a comprehensive CV featuring 15 years as a head coach of one team or another. The list included a decade-plusspell with the Tamaki College 1st XV (1998-2011), three years as Auckland schools head coach (2006-2008) and three years with Blues schools (2009-2011). He also lead the Grammar Carlton premiers to their first Gallagher Shield title - the highest prize in Auckland senior club rugby - in 40 years in 2012, took the side to the 2013 semi-final, and lost last year's final - with the side merged and known as Grammar Tech - in extra time.
After a 22-year spell at Tamaki College, Harris said the time had come for a new challenge, adding he was "really excited" about getting the opportunity to pick up the good work left by the departure of his predecessor, Derren Witcombe.
"A lot of it [coaching rugby] transfers from teaching to coaching. My next move was not going to be to another school," he said, noting the move seemed a natural one: "My profession has always been in coaching."
Harris will officially start on April 29 where his first job will be to chose his assistant coach from a shortlist of candidates. However, he plans on coming north before then to introduce himself around the traps, which will include attending the official opening round of the Mangonui senior club rugby season, Rally Day at Arnold Rae Park on April 11.
The only member of the family accompanying Harris on his move to a relatively unfamiliar north is likely to be his 14-year-old son, who will take up school in the area; Harris' wife having just started a new role with the ASB Trust (although much of that appointment will see her working frequently in Northland) and his other son, aged 18, has begun university studies.
A Tamaki College spokesperson, meanwhile, said Harris would be sorely missed: "He's fantastic, we are sad to lose him. He's tremendously approachable."
In welcoming Harris aboard and introducing him to the Northland rugby community, NRU chief executive Jeremy Parkinson said everyone at union HQ was collectively excited about the new appointment.
"We've appointed someone who has done the hard yards at the bottom of the pyramid over a significant time. Richie is a career coach who has a proven track record ... [and] has the ability to relate and motivate young men and more pointedly young Maori and Polynesian players which is pertinent to Northland where 62 per cent of our registered players are of Maori demographic, which is a similar representation within our ITM Cup team."
Harris replaces Derren Witcombe, who recently took up a three-year contract with Mitsubishi in Japan where he will join his former Taniwha assistant coach George Konia. In his two years as head coach, Witcombe led Northland to their first semi-final appearance in the ITM Cup in 17-years, and a third place finish in the 2014 ITM Cup (lower tier) championship division.
Parkinson said he was optimistic about the group of contracted players that Harris will inherit.
"We have a quality group of motivated young men who are all playing club rugby in the province and want to represent the Kauri Tree."
