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Mike Ford's return to international rugby confirmed
By Martyn Thomas
Mike Ford has been unveiled as Germany’s new head coach.
As exclusively reported by RugbyPass last month, Ford will be charged with plotting the country’s course through November’s Rugby World Cup Repechage and towards Japan 2019.
The former Bath and Toulon boss has signed an initial contract until the end of November, with an option to extend should Germany qualify for the World Cup. He will work alongside director of rugby Kobus Potgieter, who has previously served as head coach, and defence and forwards coach Mouritz Botha.
Ford, who has taken a sabbatical from prospective Major League Rugby franchise Dallas Griffins, has already arrived in Germany and will run the rule over his new players during a training camp in Heidelberg.
“I am delighted that I now have the opportunity to develop such an ambitious team as Germany, and possibly even lead them to a World Cup for the first time,” Ford said in a statement.
“Of course it is a big challenge, but that is what makes this task so attractive. I think that this national team has a lot of potential.”
Germany had been on the lookout for a new coach following the departure of Pablo Lemoine, who last week agreed to take the reins of the Chilean national team.
Ford’s new side face Hong Kong on November 11 to kick off their Repechage campaign in Marseille, and will subsequently face Canada and Kenya at the Pierre-Delort Stadium.
The winner of the round-robin tournament will join New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and Namibia in Pool B in Japan.
Germany’s domestic-based player have gathered in Heidelberg and will remain in camp until the tournament in Marseille. The squad’s overseas players, including those who have left Germany since the WILD Academy was disbanded, will be monitored by coaches in the lead-up to November.
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To be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
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