COACH: Kevin Schuler has not re-applied for his job as coach of the Bay of Plenty Steamers for next season. PHOTO/JOEL FORD
THE Bay of Plenty Steamers will need a new coach in 2015 to replace Kevin Schuler.
Schuler, affectionately known as Herb, did not reapply for his job after his three-year contract expired at the end of this year's disappointing ITM Cup campaign.
Interviews are under way to replace him from applicants from the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Schuler and the Bay of Plenty Rugby board agreed at the start of the year that this would be his last season in charge.
In his final media interview before committing to business and family interests, the former All Black flanker talks about his five years in charge of the Steamers and why recruiting local talent is the way forward for the union.
Q: Why did you not want to continue coaching the Steamers?
A: I was going to finish at the end of last season for a variety of reasons but after discussion with the union I agreed to stay on and as co-coach with Rodney Gibbs for one more year. The key for me this year was to give an opportunity for Gibby to take over and ideally Cotts (Jeremy Cotter) would have replaced me. So this season was always going to be my last.
Q: What are you most proud of from your five years in charge?
A: I have loved the opportunity to coach with the Bay and the ITM Cup is a great competition that is the launch-pad for a career in rugby. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It is always great being part of outstanding footballers' careers, like Lats (Tanerau Latimer), (Luke) Braidy and Sam Cane, who were right at the top of their game. One guy who came to the Bay several years ago is Culum Retallick, who has now played 80 games for the Bay. Having seen the growth in Red during that time has been awesome and he was a fantastic captain this year.
It has also been pretty satisfying to see guys make national honours from the Bay.
Q: When you came back from coaching in Japan for the 2012 season, the Steamers had finished fourth in the top-flight the year before. You said you wanted to continue the progress of recent years. Why did that not happen?
A: The landscape has changed a lot over the past few years. The team in 2009, 10 and 11 had a lot of experience and had gone through together. They were a talented bunch of boys who had played 30-plus games for the Bay. Most have now gone overseas - a natural progression in the life of a player.
But we haven't been able to maintain and rebuild that core base of experienced players. This year we started with a team that had no blazers in the backs and outside of Culum Retallick (72 games), the next most experienced was Carl Axtens with 20 games. That component of experience going has been critical.
You need to look at some of the broader reasons for that happening. The resources we have available now are different. The training facilities and environment here are great and a lot of good work has gone into that area. But we have had to make significant reductions in the area of player payments and that affects retention and recruitment.
This year we spent around $750,000 on players, whereas three years ago it was closer to $1.2 million. The reality is that we can't pay what we used to. This is right across the ITM Cup, but the Bay has felt it more than most. There are a lot of factors, but ultimately we need to operate sustainably within our means, and we are still adjusting to the new level.
The other key area is not maintaining experience and leadership in captaincy and first-five. We had three captains in three years.
Q: Do you believe the Steamers were ready for the 2014 ITM Championship season?
A: We did our best to prepare the team. This year I was really comfortable with what we did pre-season and how we planned. Gibby did a great job running the HP programme. We knew we had an inexperienced team but we knew we had got them physically in a much better space. Our pre-season showed us we were on track and then the season comes around and the winning of games just wasn't there.
Q: Did you try to get big-name players to fill the gaps?
A: No, we didn't try, to be honest. We did approach a couple of top-drawer experienced backs when it became clear that we were losing the likes of Phil Burleigh and Chris Noakes from the team. Ultimately, nothing came of it. But also there was the fundamental philosophy that was agreed on with the union to contract players from our club competition. I don't think that has been articulated clearly. It is an important philosophy for what Bay of Plenty needs to deliver to create unity across the region. But there is a broader expectation that people want winning teams as well.
I think a system that focuses massively on growth and development of young talent, and is able to consistently supply top end footy players to the Steamers, is the only way to go.
Q: Where to from here for Kevin Schuler?
A: Rugby is a massive part of my life. I have been involved with the Bay a long time so would love to stay involved in some capacity. I have important family business to work on for the next few years which will take up a good chunk of my time and energy. I have a family in the middle of school, too, so it will be great to spend some time involved at school level.