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Major League Rugby

Rory Best lands MLR role with the Seattle Seawolves

By Ian Cameron

24 Apr 2021

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Former Ireland hooker Rory Best is back in professional rugby after being revealed by the Seattle Seawolves as their new technical coach.

In a major recruitment move by the side, Best will work alongside former Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke and Pate Tuilevuka, who takes over as interim head coach, switching from his previous role as Director of Rugby.

The Seawolves said in a statement: “In addition to the changes with current staff, the Seawolves have added further support to the coaching team in Allen Clarke and Rory Best, bringing vast experience to bolster Seattle’s technical and high-performance skills. Clarke and Best will be with Seattle through the remainder of the 2021 season, helping direct the current campaign and laying the groundwork for the future development of the club.”

Mike Brown guests on The Offload:

Best retired at the end of 2019 after returning from the Rugby World Cup in Japan. The signing of the 38-year-old is a major statement of intent from Seattle Seawolves and an adventurous first foray into professional coaching for Best. According to the MLR side, Best “joins the Seawolves coaching staff to help build elite player skills and capabilities.”

Best earned 124 Ireland caps and toured twice with the British and Irish Lions side in 2013 and 2017. Many had expected the veteran Ulster hooker to return to farming on a permanent basis, but he’s clearly been lured by the exciting potential of the start-up American league.

Clarke meanwhile had already been involved in the MLR, having joined the Dallas Jackals as Director of Rugby. However, Dallas opted out of the 2021 season, so Clarke has made himself available as a technical coach to the Seawolves.

Clarke’s most recent European gig had been at the Ospreys, who he joined in 2017, initially as forwards coach and then as head coach. A poor start to the 2019 season saw Clarke sacked mid-season from the PRO14 franchise.

Clarke was capped eight times as a hooker for Ireland and won the 1999 Heineken Cup with his club side Ulster; the first European title for an Irish side.

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Comments on RugbyPass

Bull Shark 8 minutes ago

Sadness pervades as Gatland stands on the brink of Welsh exit

Not true. I'm a South African and I absolutely loved seeing the Wallabies beating England. And miss the Wallabies of old who were a devastating force with some of the greatest players of all time.

I hear quite regularly that Australians prefer Aussie rules, league, and cricket over rugby.

So again, seems like Australians are to blame for the state of the game in Australia?

16 Go to comments

Bull Shark 16 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I find Ben Smith to be an emotionally driven hysteric. So I question everything he writes.

He launched into the year about the ABs being back this year. For a "journalist" his opinions are based on the flavour of the month.

He's at least gone quiet about how sh1t the boks actually are. Although I suspect he's working on an outrageous article to that effect as we speak, to drive engagement after the end of the Autumn series, as we'll all be taking a break until the 6N.

22 Go to comments

Chesterfield 18 minutes ago

Michael Hooper reacts to Scott Barrett’s controversial late-game call

The dominant pack should be enforcing their superiority with maximum points and the psychological advantage of taking the lead.

You don’t get that by saying we’ll settle for three and try again you get it by scoring seven and trying again. Doesn’t come off every time?

No.

But if you’ve asserted dominance letting the opposition off and not trying to build a double score difference is wrong minded.

All blacks have traditionally played to build the unassailable lead not meekly win a single point victory.

11 Go to comments

Arnold 21 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

Aaah. Ben Smith. Ever the unbiased, objective rugby scribe......NOT.

Unable to give credit where it's due, other than for the ABs, especially when it comes to the Boks. His contempt for them is tangible. If you want to " Get Real" about these ABs Ben, consider when they last beat the Boks??? For us Bok fans, beating the ABs is the only true measure.

22 Go to comments

Reader76 39 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

"they [All Blacks] are nuggety and resourceful and don’t wilt. They are prepared to win the hard way, accumulating points by any means necessary."

Sounds like you're describing your arch-nemesis Ben 😁

22 Go to comments

CM 42 minutes ago

'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame'

This article only shows a part of SBs failings as England Coach. Firstly his reputation st Leicester was false, his SA and Welsh players won the matches not his coaching prowess. He has Wigglesworth as attack coach, someone who rarely attacked when playing. His player selection is awful, ignoring form players and sticking with failed internationals. He picks players that he knows and will be easy to manage for him. What on earth is Slade doing when even for Exeter he does not make line breaks with steppping, pace or guile, why on earth are Cole,George,Steward,Ford,Iseweke and a few other anywhere near the Team. Borthwick is awful as Head Coach of England.

1 Go to comments

Mzilikazi 44 minutes ago

Key Wallabies trio running hot a year after being left in cold

Good to be writing about a WB team that has beaten two 6 N sides in successive weeks, Brett.

Lolesio indeed is looking very comfortable under Schmidt coaching. He must feel as confident now as he was feeling in his spell at Toulon last year. It will be interesting to see how he does against Finn Russell.

30 Go to comments

J Marc 1 hour ago

'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Your unterstanding of the relation FFR LNR, is far better than the one in the article. For Meafou, there is an article on Skelton saying he is totally indispensable in the australian game.

In France they are often compared, and french game is often, but not always ,based on this kind of number 5. But , there are a lot of kind of play in France and in the world, and it's a blessing, because otherwise, the game would be boring.

On my other post ,which you replied, my intention was to explain with some historics facts the main importance, in France, of the championship.

But ,once again, I would prefer 3 games in NZ , with the better french players.

287 Go to comments

Ninjin 1 hour ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I said before the November tests that the AB's should go smash some Nh teams to find their feet and it seems that is just what they did bar France. Could have should have always sucks. Better to look to the future.

22 Go to comments