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Wayne Smith takes home Coach of the Year crown
By Ben Smith
Black Ferns World Cup-winning head coach Wayne Smith has been named World Rugby's Coach of the Year at the annual awards in Monaco.
The former All Blacks assistant led the Black Ferns to a 34-31 win over England in the World Cup final just two weeks ago.
After coming out of retirement to help the Black Ferns after they went on a disastrous end of year tour in 2021, losing to France and England twice each, Smith completed a fairytale revival by coaching the Ferns to a World Cup victory.
Under Smith's guidance, the Black Ferns racked up big wins over Australia 41-17, Scotland 57-0 and Wales 56-12 in the pool stages before a rematch against Wales in the quarterfinals.
They defeated Wales 55-3 in the first knockout round before a tight 25-24 win in the semi-final over France.
They clinch their sixth World Cup title by defeating the Red Roses who were riding a record 30-test win streak heading into the final.
The man nicknamed “The Professor” confirmed throughout the tournament that this would be his last stint as a professional coach in any capacity and he would retire after this World Cup.
“Rugby has always been my life since I was five years old, whether I have been a coach or a club player, it’s something I have loved all my life,” he said.
“This will be it for me, I will retire after this permanently. What a way to finish, this is a lot of fun.”
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Willis
Underhill
Earl
As good as any backrow on the planet.
Go to commentsWhile we were living in Belgium, French rugby was very easy to watch on tv and YouTube. Given the ghastly weather, riding indoors on a trainer and watching French rugby was a very passable experience. I became quite a fan.
Interestingly, last week in Buenos Aires I shared a table with a couple from Toulouse, who were at the Toulon game themselves, and were curious how much I knew about French club rugby. I explained the Brussels weather. They smiled and understood.
Now back in CA, biking again.
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