By Tom Little
January 28 2016
...for coming season.
The Board of Coventry Rugby has appointed Rowland Winter as Director of Rugby starting 1st June this year. This decision has been made in order to prepare for the next phase in Coventry Rugby’s development and is taken in the context of the need to create a full time coaching (and eventually playing) structure that is locally on hand to create all the infrastructures needed to progress to the next level and, most importantly, to succeed within it. We are only too aware that a “jump” to the Championship is incredibly difficult and the reality is that the organisation needs to be fully in place before arriving in it.
He will join us full time from June 1st. Meantime he will work part time with Scott and the existing team as an advisor with a clear brief to recruit players and build the structures necessary for the 2016/17 season.
Rowland is currently Director of Rugby at Cambridge RFC as well as being Academy EPDG coach for Northampton Saints, Director of Rugby for Eastern Counties and a Divisional Selector for the RFU U20s. He has a wealth of coaching experience and has used this to excellent effect in building structures at Cambridge RFC, largely responsible for their current much improved playing fortunes and outlook.
Rowland will be locally based. He will be challenged with putting a modern, professional set up in place capable of winning National One and establishing Coventry Rugby as a force in the Championship – easy words to write but a huge challenge on both fronts.
Rowland is hugely excited by the opportunity and challenge offered by Coventry Rugby. He sees Coventry as having massive potential and, whilst recognising the good work done to develop the playing side, has identified and drawn up ideas for a broad range of areas for targeting improvement. His focus will be on development and on recruiting high potential players who will commit to the Coventry cause, work within the structures in place and who are hungry to develop their own careers at Coventry as part of a successful and high performing team.
The Board believe that Rowland has the track record, the experience, the commitment and the ambition to help Coventry achieve its short term goals and believe the supporters will welcome him into the Coventry family and give him every support.
View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.