Middleton applies for director of rugby job

Paul Munyuki in Johannesburg, South Africa
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union last week used their official website to advertise for the post of director of rugby with former Cheetahs coach, Liam Middleton, the first to express his interest in the job.Having previously held various coaching posts in England, where he spent most of his coaching career, and also leading Zimbabwe to a Bowl in the 2009 World Cup, Middleton is planning a comeback to Zimbabwean rugby.

The coach was in Middelburg where he also helped the Cheetahs with tips during the Middelburg International Sevens tournament over the weekend and told The Herald he was interested in the job.

“Surely I still have love for Zimbabwe rugby and I am interested in the post and I would like to talk to Colleen (de Jong, ZRU vice-president) about that as well,” said Middleton.

According to the ZRU advertisement, the ideal person should hold a minimum of a Level III International Rugby Board coaching certificate and will be responsible for coach development and education programmes.

The ZRU also says that among his major roles, the director of coaching will be responsible for managing the performance and appointment of technical staff, oversee the performance of representative teams in Zimbabwe, set out a clear strategy for the development of Zimbabwe Rugby’s high-performance programme over the next five years and, most importantly, manage the playing structure of competitive rugby.

De Jong feels this is the right time to have a director of rugby in Zimbabwe Rugby.
“It’s about time that we engage someone who will be responsible for national technical planning for all levels of rugby in Zimbabwe and we are not only looking at coaches from Zimbabwe but anywhere else.

“If the person suits the given criteria no matter where they are from and we are convinced that he can do the job for us then sure, why not take that person?”

Zimbabwe only has a handful of Level III IRB accreditated coaches and among those are the former Under-20 coaches Brighton Chivandire, Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa and Richard Kershaw.