Bell tolls for Lions again
Wellington Rugby have revealed that Andre Bell has been re-appointed as coach of the Wellington Lions, after taking up the role on a temporary basis in August of this year – following the departure of Jamie Joseph to the Highlanders.
Bell, the former Bay of Plenty coach, led the team to the 2010 NPC play-offs, before eventually missing out 57-41 in a thrilling semifinal in Christchurch. He is delighted at the prospect of coaching the Lions in the 2011 competition, after successfully applying for the role on a full-time basis.
“I’m pleased the process is over and am really looking forward to next year,” he explained.
“Where the Wellington Lions finished this year is where we would like to get to as a starting point for our 2011 campaign. Coming in mid-way through this year meant there were a number of changes for the players. They had to understand different ways of coaching, but then momentum started to pick up.
“Our goal is to win the NPC. Some teams are happy just to make the semis but we want to win – we have high expectations. We also want to ensure there is continuity between the Hurricanes and Wellington, as many of our players are in the Hurricanes squad.
“This season is going to be about bringing a lot of younger players and academy players through. The depth we have in the squad is important.
“There is a huge amount of talent there – factoring in the number of Under-20 players coming through. Club play in the Wellington region is also strong so there are lots of players coming through for the future.”
Wellington Chairman, Tony Duffin, was thrilled to have secured Bell’s services.
“Andre has proved himself as a quality coach and we are delighted to appoint him to the position full-time. We had seven outstanding candidates put their names forward and the final shortlist of four was exceptional. That was expected though, given the calibre of players with this union.
“This season the younger players played really well, scoring a number of tries and getting to the semis. Having said that, we will not be happy until we go all the way and win the competition. That is our aim and with Andre at the helm we believe we have given ourselves the best possible chance of achieving that.”
