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Written by Jamie Troughton
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Tuesday, 28 July 2009 |
Greg Smith's future as Bay of Plenty rugby coach is in doubt just four days out from the start of the Air New Zealand Cup season.
Smith was a notable absentee from Steamers training in Mount Maunganui yesterday and was unable to be contacted by the Bay Times.
It's understood he attended a meeting with the union yesterday morning, then left for Hamilton.
Assistant coach Steve Miln and technical advisor Sean Horan took training in his absence, with Chiefs coaches Ian Foster and Craig Stevenson also in attendance on a routine visit.
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Jeremy Curragh confirmed Smith was due back tomorrow for another meeting.
"We've got some concerns on the way the Steamers are tracking in such a critical season and we're working as hard as we can to get things back on track," Curragh said.
"We've agreed with Greg that he should take a few days off and Steve and Sean will continue to take training in his absence, holding the fort."
The development comes after a woeful pre-season from the Steamers. They struggled to a 28-19 win over Counties-Manukau in Whakatane, then turned in a dire performance to lose 35-7 to Hawke's Bay on Friday.
Alarm bells have been ringing at union headquarters with this season looming as critical and it's believed the board had an emergency meeting on Sunday.
Four teams will be pruned from this year's Air New Zealand Cup to make way for a 10-team NPC premier division next year and Bay of Plenty are currently ranked ninth.
The Steamers begin their campaign with a match against Northland in Rotorua on Friday night, followed by a rematch with Counties-Manukau in Pukekohe a week later.
Both games are crucial for the Steamers, against opposition widely tipped to be relegated.
Smith, who has just turned 35, was employed in March on a one-year contract. He'd previously coached Waikato club Fraser Tech to championship victory in 2008 and has been a scrum coach for the Waikato Rugby Union.
In 2001, he was the assistant coach of Fiji when they won the Pan Pacific Championship and had 10 years as a player for the Pacific Island nation.
The appointment panel included Curragh, Glen Cotterill (BOPRU Deputy Chairman), former New Zealand Maori Matt Te Pou and former All Black John Graham.
The Steamers team for Friday's match will be named today amidst a cloud of uncertainty, in sharp contrast to the new BOPRU administration which has been marked by decisive action.
The new board, led by chairman Bruce Cameron, culled 11 staff jobs midway through last year after a dire financial year, while Cameron reiterated the need for a successful 2009 season as recently as June.
"I won't tolerate any complacency on or off the field," he said at the time. "We need a big year to consolidate our ranking and we definitely need ongoing commitment from our supporters and the wider community so that when we are ranked again, we measure up."
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