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Simon Mannix's Portugal swoop to recruit Olivier Azam
By Francisco Isaac
Portugal are getting their muskets ready for the Summer Internationals, and to boost their chances of a positive tour to South Africa, Simon Mannix staff got an upgrade, specifically in the forward's engine room, as former French international Olivier Azam joins them for the next couple of years.
Azam’s last gig was with the Montpellier’s forwards, having helped the Altrad-owned club to win the 2021/2022 Top 14 before resigning in November of 2022. The 49-year-old was a Les Bleus international in the 90s, having played for AS Montferrand and Gloucester, winning two EPCR Challenge Cups (1999 and 2006) and one Anglo-Welsh Powergen Cup in 2003. At Gloucester, he forged a relationship with Simon Mannix, as both shared the locker-room in the 2000/2001 season.
His first experience as a coach was with RC Toulon as a set-piece specialist, spending two years there and helping the club win the Heineken Champions Cup. The former hooker would trade clubs in the July of 2013 assuming the role of forwards coach at LOU, with more silverware following, as the Lyonnais side lifted the Pro D2 title.
Between 2015 and 2019 he had his only spell as head-coach in the Top 14 with US Oyonnax, but would exit just four months into the job after a disappointing season start.
In 2019 he would have his first job abroad, joining the England U20s staff as a scrum coach, sticking with them until 2020, when Montpellier called and signed him to join Xavier Garbajosa and Jean-Baptiste Élissalde.
Azam’s knowledge of the set-piece, especially in the scrum, his good positioning and connections with the top flight of French rugby, and his vast experience coaching the pro side of the game, were crucial in the decision to add his name to Portugal’s backroom staff.
At this time, it isn’t clear if he will be added also to the Lusitanos franchise staff.
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Mallia deserves 8 at least. Brains and skills for the comeback. Him, Garcia and Albornoz the core of The Pumas attack. Hope to see them in the 15s against France
Go to commentsYeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
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