Axed All Blacks assistant joins Crusaders coaching staff

Former All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar insists he holds no grudges for being sacked and said he's happy to be back in New Zealand rugby and back with the Crusaders.

Mooar was sacked as All Blacks attack coach in 2022 following New Zealand's home series defeat to Ireland earlier that year.

Ian Foster was All Blacks head coach at the time.

John Plumtree was also axed as All Blacks forwards coach with then Crusaders assistant (current All Blacks forwards coach) Jason Ryan and now Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt brought in to help Foster as he prepared for the 2023 World Cup.

Before becoming an All Blacks assistant Mooar was head coach of Welsh club Scarlets. New Zealand Rugby paid a significant amount to get him out of that contract.

Mooar's firing from the All Blacks didn't stop him picking up other top jobs and he's worked as an assistant coach with Scotland in 2023 during the Six Nations and World Cup and with Argentina.

Now he's back in Christchurch and back with the Crusaders where he worked as an assistant between 2015 and 2019, when the Canterbury based franchise began their seven-year winning streak in Super Rugby.

He said he wasn't angry about his departure from the All Blacks and was adamant it didn't dampen his enthusiasm for coaching.

"We say good experience and bad experience, but take the good and bad away and just treat things as experiences and deal with them as they come. What do we learn from them and how can we get better, so I don't hold any grudges around that," Mooar said.

"It was a great privilege to be involved with the All Blacks. I learnt plenty and had some great experiences, right at the sharp end of high performance sport.

"Now it's looking forward through the windscreen and not the rear view mirror."

Mooar is returning to the role for the 2025 and 2026 seasons under Crusaders head coach Rob Penney.

"My family and I are really happy to be back in Christchurch, and I'm really excited to be at Rugby Park again. It feels like coming home," Mooar said.

"It's wonderful to be back in the mix with the players and staff, and I'm looking forwards to connecting with the community again".

Penney survived and end of season review earlier this year after the Crusaders failed to reach the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time since 2015.

They entered the 2024 season as defending champions having won the past five full Super Rugby titles, but won just four of their 14 games to finish ninth in the standings.

Penney said while he and Mooar haven't worked closely together before, they know each from their club rugby playing days as well as both being amongst Canterbury coaching groups.

"Brad has some awesome credentials. He is a quality coach and a quality human being" said Penney, "He has a proven success record and is going to offer the coaching group and the organisation a wealth of experience and knowledge".

Fellow Crusaders assistant coach, former All Blacks flanker Matt Todd, will be another familiar face, as he was part of the playing squad when Mooar was last with the franchise

Crusaders boss Colin Mansbridge believes Mooar will help the side.

"He is vastly experienced and cares deeply. He is really invested in the Crusaders, and I'm really pleased to have someone of his calibre on board to compliment the group that has grown enormously since last year."

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