Nucifora Has Hands Too Full With Baby Wallabies To Consider Comeback

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday January 16, 2009

Rupert Guinness

AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union high-performance manager David Nucifora has not put away his coach's whistle for good despite missing out on the Wallabies job to New Zealander Robbie Deans.

The former Brumbies coach, who took the Canberra side to the most recent of their two Super 12 titles, in 2004, will return to coaching as the Australian under-20s coach for the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan from June 5 to 21. Coaches of the Australian Super 14 sides, or any international side, have no cause to worry - Nucifora is not using the opportunity to sharpen his coaching tools for a full-time comeback. Not just yet, anyhow.

"No . . . if I was I would have already gone and done that," Nucifora said with a laugh yesterday.

The man who coached the Brumbies from 2002 to 2004 before guiding the Blues from 2005 until last year, will continue in his role as high-performance boss as his appointment with the Australian under-20s side falls into his job brief.

He will replace former Waratahs assistant coach Brian Melrose at the helm of the under-20s team, while ARU national programs manager Anthony Eddy will serve as his assistant.

"There is some sound thinking behind taking this approach with the under-20s. One of the main reasons is that it will help deliver continuity through all our development programs," Nucifora said. "In my role as HPU general manager, I'm dealing with national talent squad players aged from 15 to 18 years at the entry point for ARU development programs.

"Those players naturally feed into the under-20 system and then to Super rugby and hopefully the Wallabies, who are at the top end of the HPU program. By having this sense of continuity in the program, we'll always be tracking where players are at in the development pathway; what's working with them on and off the field. That can be extremely useful in ensuring the holistic development of an individual."

Nucifora said another element to his vision for the Australian under-20s program was the development of up-and-coming coaches in Australia.

While Nucifora and Eddy will head the coaching team, they will invite the four provincial unions behind each of the Australian Super 14 sides to select emerging coaches to assist in coaching the side, with the best picked to tour to Japan.

"I think it makes sense in this HPU role to utilise my coaching skills set," Nucifora said. "However, I am also aware that developing coaches in our system is crucial.

"To that end, we are asking the four Super rugby provinces to nominate young up-and-coming coaches who will come in and help with the preparation of the team. We will also take one or two of them away to Japan with us.

"They will be coaches in the existing academy systems or from the club ranks, rather than assistant coaches from the provinces who are already in the professional environment. Doing it this way will give us the chance to expose some emerging coaches to higher levels of competition."

© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald

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