THE BREAKDOWN
BLUES SEND FOR COVENTRY
DISASTER WAS THE THEME OF THE BLUES 2018 CAMPAIGN, BUT THEY HAVE AT LEAST MANAGED TO PROVIDE A TOUCH OF OPTIMISM ABOUT HOW THINGS MIGHT PLAY OUT IN 2019.
Not only have they managed to capture the imaginative and e_ ective attacking brain of Leon MacDonald, they have also persuaded the hardnosed, hugely driven Tom Coventry to join the coaching team with a view to drilling the pack.
Coventry, as one current All Black suggested, is a “game-changer” for the Blues. The former Hawke’s Bay coach came to national prominence in 2012 when he played a major role in transforming the Chiefs alongside Dave Rennie, Wayne Smith and Andrew Strawbridge.
Coventry was instrumental in turning the pack into a ruthless, well organised highly capable unit both at set-piece and across the park.
He’s renowned for his insistence on the basics being excellent and players
