La Rochelle have an 'agreement' with ex-Ulster coach Gibbes - report
Top 14 club La Rochelle is still pursuing former Ulster coach Jono Gibbes to fill the vacant Director of Rugby position according to reports by French newspaper L'Equipe.
Gibbes, now with the Waikato Mitre 10 side, was released from Ulster on compassionate grounds to return to coach Waikato for family reasons. His visit to La Rochelle days before his sides PRO 14 playoff match soured his reputation at the Northern Ireland club, with many unhappy he was considering taking over the head coaching role at La Rochelle after requesting a release to return to New Zealand.
The visit even stunned the Waikato Rugby Union who were expecting Gibbes to arrive back in New Zealand. Waikato announced his signature in May for the upcoming Mitre 10 season.
However, links to La Rochelle are persistent with a new report by L'Equipe claiming that Gibbes could still join the side following the Mitre 10 season in November.
"According to our information, the track leading to Jono Gibbes has not been abandoned by Stade Rochelais."
The report claims that an "agreement" has been reached between Gibbes and La Rochelle which allows Gibbes the possibility of arriving in November to enable him to solve his "personal problems" while back in New Zealand coaching Waikato. He would fill the Director of Rugby position midway through the season or else the club will continue without a Director of Rugby.
The open-ended nature of the agreement leaves the "ball in the camp of Jono Gibbes".
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Has there ever been a Red and Black you don't rate GP over the years? However to be fair most of your favs have had the goods.
Go to commentsI'm not very hopeful of a better change to the sport. Putting an Aussie in charge after they failed for two decades is just disgusting. What else will be brought in to weaken the game? What new rule changes will be made? How will the game be grown?
Nothing of value in this letter. There is no definitive drive towards something better. Just more of the same as usual. The most successful WC team is getting snubbed again and again for WC's hosting rights. What will make other competitions any different?
My beloved rugby is already a global sport. Why is there no SH team chosen between the Boks, AB's, Wallabies and Fiji? Like a B&I Lions team to tour Europe and America? A team that could face not only countries but also the B&I Lions? Wouldn't that make for a great spectacle that will also bring lots of eyeballs to the sport?
Instead with an Aussie in charge, rugby will become more like rugby league. Rugby will most likely become less global if we look at what have become of rugby in Australia. He can't save rugby in Australia, how will he improve the global footprint of rugby world wide?
I hope to be proven wrong and that he will raise up the sport to new heights, but I am very much in doubt. It's like hiring a gardener to a CEO position in a global company expecting great results. It just won't happen. Call me negative or call me whatever you'd like, Robinson is the wrong man for the job.
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