Former All Black Craig Newby lands head coach role in England

Former All Black Craig Newby has been appointed head coach of the English Championship’s bottom club, Cambridge.

It will be the 45-year-old’s second spell in the role, having spent two seasons in charge between 2013-15, when the club was two divisions further down the league ladder, in National 2 North.

Since then, the three-times capped player has accumulated a wealth of coaching experience, including spells as an assistant coach at the Japanese club, NEC Green Rockets, Ulster in Northern Ireland and Ealing Trailfinders in the Championship. Newby has also worked as an England U20 Women’s pathway coach and in elite school rugby programmes in the UK.

In addition to playing for the All Blacks, Newby won a gold medal with New Zealand 7s at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and had a stellar career in club rugby, as a no-nonsense flanker with the Blues and Highlanders in Super Rugby and Newcastle and Leicester in England’s Premiership.

Newby will take up his new role on May 1st, five games before the end of the league season. In the meantime, Newby’s former Leicester team-mate, Anthony Allen, will continue as interim head coach. Allen has been undertaking the role since longstanding Director of Rugby Richie Williams left the club in December.

“We have tracked his development and progression over the last 10 years, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the club,” said Cambridge chief operating officer Rowland Winter about the appointment.

“Craig’s drive and passion as a coach is infectious, and we feel that he shares the same values and goals as we do as a club.”

Cambridge won promotion to the second tier of English rugby in 2023 but currently prop up the 12-team league with 10 games left to play.