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Ex-All Blacks hooker Dane Coles confirms new coaching gig

Former All Blacks hooker Dane Coles (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Wellington Lions have announced that former All Black Dane Coles will join as a spot coach for the 2024 Bunnings Warehouse NPC competition.

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Coles – who debuted for the Lions in 2007 and earned 71 caps – is a well-known figure in Wellington rugby.

Born and raised in the region, Coles has spent his entire domestic career with Poneke, the Lions, and the Hurricanes. The club say his addition to the coaching staff brings extensive experience and a deep connection to Wellington rugby.

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      “Wellington has given me so much throughout my career, and for me to give back to the game and the Union that started it all is a no brainer really,” says Coles.

      “I’ve got some great memories with the Lions. My time in the black and yellow jersey is done, but I’m excited to direct my energy and efforts into coaching and hopefully giving back to the next generation of players.”

      Wellington Lions Head Coach Alando Soakai welcomed the new addition.

      “I first reached out to Colesy and asked whether he was keen to play. He mentioned coaching, and the rest is history.”

      “We know he’s got a lot of knowledge to pass onto the next generation of hookers, and we’re lucky to have him. For him to offer some of his time to us, is a testament to his incredible character, and his love for the Lions, the team that started it all.”

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      WRFU CEO Tony Giles shared these sentiments, adding “We’re honoured that Colesy has offered up his time to move into a spot coaching role with us. The level of talent and mana that he’ll bring to the table is huge, and we’re excited to see what our coaching group will achieve this season.”

      The Wellington Lions will start their season against Auckland at Eden Park on Friday the 9th of August.

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      fl 6 hours ago
      Steve Borthwick urged by predecessor to make radical Ben Earl decision

      1) I didn’t say he wasn’t good enough for Wales. I said he wasn’t good enough for England or SA, but that he would be good enough for Wales.


      2) I didn’t include the u20 games which Ojomoh and Atkinson played in. Ojomoh has played 69 senior professional matches for Bath, and a further 4 for the England under 20s. Atkinson has played 52 senior professional matches for Gloucester and 10 for Worcester. He has never been capped by England u20s.


      3) Ojomoh is pretty much a guaranteed starter. He started some games off the bench when he was returning from injury, but before the international break he had a run of 4 consecutive starts.


      4) Atkinson is absolutely a guaranteed starter. He’s been a starter in 47 of his 52 games for Gloucester. 1 minute off the bench counts as a pro game so is important to note that BJVR has his appearance stats inflated by a relatively large (compared to Atkinson) number of appearances when he was on the pitch for less than 5 minutes.


      5) It is genuinely impressive that you managed to get so many basic facts wrong in just one relatively short comment. It is a shame that you are not coming to this with an open mind, but to be clear no one is saying that BJVR is a bad player, but given there are good young English options, it makes more sense to develop them rather than expect a 29 year old (as he will be when he becomes eligible for England) to come into the team and immediately excel.

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