GRAHAM A PERFECT COACHING FIT FOR FORCE
Friday, 28 August 2009 7:16pm
By Chris Pike (Sportal)
Richard GrahamThe Emirates Western Force have secured the services of Wallabies' skills coach Richard Graham to be an assistant to John Mitchell for the 2010 Investec Super 14 season.
In town with the Wallabies who face South Africa at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night, Graham and the Force agreed to terms that will see him able to continue with the Wallabies in the international season and be with the Force during the Super 14 campaign.
He replaces John Mulvihill and will be alongside Geoff Townsend and Matt Tink underneath Mitchell for a 2010 season that looms as an exciting and fresh one for the Force.
Graham, 37, has a strong coaching background in Europe throughout this decade. He was skills, backs and defence coach at Bath from 2002-06, was coaching co-ordinator then head coach of Saracens from 2006-09 and is currently in his first year in his role with the Wallabies.
Some of his achievements include taking Bath to English Premiership finals, Powergen Cup finals and the Heineken Cup semi-final, and also Saracens to the Heineken Cup semi-final.
Graham is looking forward to the role and is confident it will only help him develop and improve as a coach.
"As a young coach certainly it was important for my development to continue coaching. I've had numerous discussions with John, what they are doing at the Force excites me and I'm pleased to be part of it," Graham said.
"The roles are very clear. My role with the Western Force is throughout the Super 14 and my role with the Wallabies is in the international season. We are really clear on that and as a consequence I think it will work really well."
The Force's squad has undergone tremendous change since the end of last season, but the players signed look exciting for Graham and he is sure he can bring plenty to the table from his time with the Wallabies an in the UK.
"There has been obviously half the squad evolving and for myself with the backs, it should be a great season at the Western Force. I've come here with a good relationship with the group I'm working with in the Wallabies at the moment, and that will only benefit myself and those players," he said.
"I've worked in the UK for a number of seasons and the game over there has always been challenging. Strategically is also an area of strength I've got and I know John enjoys that side of things, and I'm looking forward to bringing that to the club as well."
Force coach Mitchell is delighted to add Graham to his coaching staff and believes his involvement in the national team is a massive bonus as well.
"Firstly he has had a lot of experience in Europe, has been under some very experienced coaches, is hard working, loyal and has a real love for the game. It's great for myself, great for the coaching group, for the club and even better for the playing group to have his experience," Mitchell said.
"It's a huge advantage that he's also involved at the international level and tactically we can keep up to date with the game. The way professional rugby is today each competition seems to evolve.
"You look at the laws that have been created globally and how much it has changed since we played under the ELVs in Super 14 this year. Richard has had experience in this game already and when he joins us fully it will be great to sit down to see just how much the game has evolved."
The additions of Matt Dunning, Tim Fairbrother and Nic Henderson to the forward pack, and Brett Sheehan, Andre Pretorius, Sam Harris and Mark Bartholomeusz to the backline also has Mitchell satisfied with the state of the Force squad looking ahead to 2010.
"It's refreshing and also an example of professional rugby. Players move, it's not always the player's choice when they do and it's not always one way. Clearly we've tried to strengthen our forward pack and have brought in very experienced frontrowers, and also have great experience at nine and 10, and international experience," he said.
"Defensively that will be great to us and should give us a strong kicking game. Brett Sheehan and Andre Pretorius should bring certain team elements to the game that will be even better for the group. If you look at the rest of the positions there isn’t too much selectional change and there's quite a lot of continuity that exists within the group apart from those areas that were strengthened."
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