By Glenn McLean

Willie Rickards’ 12-season association with Taranaki Rugby has ended after the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls head coach announced he would not re-apply for his job.

“I believe the right people are in the building to lead the team forward,” Rickards said after revealing his departure.

The 36-year-old made his debut as a player for the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls against Waikato in 2009 before he made the last of his 18 appearances in 2012. His subsequent retirement saw him move into coaching as he took Southern to their first premier club title before he became Colin Cooper’s assistant coach in 2015.

He was appointed Yarrows Taranaki Bulls Head Coach after Cooper took up the Chiefs coaching job in 2018.

While his coaching tenure was punctuated with overall disappointing results, he leaves having won the Ranfurly Shield before the side made the Mitre 10 Cup Championship semi-finals in 2020.

His time in charge has also seen unprecedented change for Taranaki Rugby after it lost its base at Yarrow Stadium after it was deemed to be structurally unsafe. That has ultimately cost the union its healthy cash reserves.

Rickards was well aware of the criticism being pointed at him in regard to the side’s on-field results but believed the core group of squad members had the potential to be successful.

“As the Head Coach I am accountable for the results, I take full responsibility,” he said.

“At the end of 2017 and in 2018 our organisation, on the back of the stadium issue, went from one that was thriving to an organisation that was talking about surviving, virtually overnight. I was determined to do the best that I could for our staff, players and province”, he said.

He made it clear he was not taking the stadium issue and making it into an excuse and was equally transparent that he took full responsibility as head coach for results.

Rickards said he had the utmost faith in Taranaki Rugby Chairman Andrew Thompson and Chief Executive Laurence Corlett to position the union into a strong position and he thanked them for their support.

“I think it is time for someone else to move into the head coaching role,” he said. “I believe the three guys (Chairman, CEO and Head Coach) can really get aligned and drive this team forward for the next four, five or six years.”

His last season in charge featured a number of narrow losses and defeats when the side were in strong winning positions while its Ranfurly Shield tenure lasted a solitary week after its best performance of 2020 against Canterbury.

A lack of accuracy late in games, the loss of key, influential personnel, including co-captain Tei Walden, “ultimately” hurt them, he admitted, while fellow co-captain Mitchell Brown’s interrupted campaign was also keenly felt.

“I’ve always believed the effort was there and I am proud of the culture we have here and I believe that was reflected in our games. We are a young group and we have had some good learnings.”

“The key will be keeping this young group together for the next couple of years and I believe Taranaki Rugby will see the benefits of that.”

Taranaki Rugby Chairman Andrew Thompson thanked Rickards for his service.

“The TRFU Board would like to thank Willie for his contribution towards Taranaki Rugby, as a former player, assistant coach and Head Coach.  Without a doubt, the last three years have been difficult to navigate with Yarrow Stadium issues and, latterly, Covid disruptions. However, Willie is the ultimate professional and has shown great leadership with our TRFU staff and management.”

“The TRFU Board is currently working on a recruitment process for the role of Head Coach, which will begin shortly.”

Corlett, who played alongside Rickards, paid tribute to the work his former team-mate had done and his overall contribution to Taranaki Rugby.

“As a player he won the Ranfurly Shield and he repeated that feat as a coach while always putting the union and the team first,” he said.

“A lot of other coaches would have walked away from the challenges he faced but he fronted them and never looked to shy away or not take responsibility for his watch. I think he will reflect on that time as a great learning curve while looking back in years to come at the development of a large number of quality players with immense satisfaction.”

As for Rickards future, he has not made any decisions, apart from getting around his adopted province and thanking a large number of people who have helped him.

“Seeing our players become good fathers, good husbands and watching our Bayleys Academy players finish their trades and become qualified, that’s what has driven me,” he said.

“If you ask me what I’m most proud of, it’s watching those young men be really good people in our community.”

Aside from that, he gave a heartfelt thanks to Taranaki Rugby for its support, particularly when his wife Anna suffered a brain aneurysm in 2009.

“It really deepened my sense of belonging to this place, not just to the rugby union, but to Taranaki and I’ve just been so grateful for the support that I have had and my family has had. When people ask me about my experience here in Taranaki, the first thing I say is how grateful we are for the people here.”

Article added: Monday 30 November 2020