Taranaki Rugby boss resigns
The search is on for a new Taranaki Rugby boss after chief executive Laurence Corlett resigned.
Corlett, who has been in the job for almost two years, cited the demands of the job and a desire to spend more time with family as the major reasons behind his decision to quit.
‘‘It’s been two hectic years, really full-on, and with my two teenage boys coming to the end of their secondary schooling I really want to spend time with them,’’ he said.
Corlett said he was proud of the way he had led the union through the unavailability of Yarrow Stadium, the challenge of dealing with Covid-19, the fact he had helped move the union into a better financial position, the employment of key commercial and high performance staff while at the same time being able to watch Taranaki win the NPC Championship in an unbeaten 2021 season.
However, having to complete a major staff restructure as well as cutting costs across the union because of Taranaki Rugby’s financial situation had impacted on staff, players and the programmes they could deliver which had been a major challenge, he said.
Taranaki Rugby chairman Andrew Thompson said leading any provincial union in the present climate was a tough job, but there was nothing behind the scenes to prompt Corlett’s resignation. Thompson was bitterly disappointed at some of the rumours that were circulating.
‘‘Some of them are just absolutely appalling and there is simply no truth in them at all,’’ he said.
Thompson said Corlett’s resignation was an opportunity for Taranaki Rugby to reset.
‘‘Laurence has come in and is leaving the organisation in a much healthier state than when he picked it up.’’
Thompson believed the union was in a good position moving forward, with head coach Neil Barnes in place for at least another year, the prospect of returning to its home base at Yarrow Stadium on the horizon, as well as the retention of a core group of players.
A key attribute for any incoming boss would be the ability to network across a number of areas, with a focus on improving substandard training facilities a key point to come out of the players’ end-of-season review, he said.
‘‘We need someone who can work well with councils and networks to support us when we get back into the stadium to make sure we have a say around that.’’
The union would advertise the position shortly ‘‘to see who was about’’ and Thompson was not hiding the fact it would be a challenging job.
He hoped they had someone in the position by the end of March.