Hurricanes to do a Stirling job

Chris Stirling is focusing on success as he settles into his new role as General Manager High Performance at the Hurricanes.

The Tawa stalwart, who played more than 200 games for the club, recently stepped into the position after spending a period of time as the High Performance talent identification Manager at the New Zealand Rugby Union

The role is newly developed within the Hurricanes, and reporting to Chief Executive James Te Puni, Stirling will lead all high performance activities within the franchise.

"I'm really pleased to have him on board," Te Puni said.

"His appointment reflects the Hurricane's commitment to developing talent and building the best high performance rugby environment in Super Rugby."

Stirling said he was excited about taking up the opportunity, and intends to do everything he can to help the team win a Super Rugby title.

"That's the aim, that's the dream," he said.

"It'll be my job to eliminate any of those barriers that could potentially interfere with the team and staff reaching that title."

Stirling will drive the talent identification and player recruitment programmes within the franchise, while also working closely with coach, Mark Hammett, to ensure the organisation is moving in the right direction.

"There'll also be a big focus on building positive relationships with all of the provincial unions, so the Hurricanes can strengthen and retain the talent that lies within the region," he said.

Stirling has a strong coaching background, having coached professionally for three years at the Cornish Pirates, in England, and previously with Buller, on the West Coast.

"Those were coaching environments where nobody knew me, so it was very challenging in that I really had to prove my worth as a coach."

The father of three has also held coaching positions within the Wellington area, namely with the Wellington Colts.

Hammett was thrilled to have Stirling on board, as he was another addition to what was shaping up to be a promising Hurricanes outfit for 2014.

"His role is an important part of the professional rugby set-up, and we're fortunate to have someone like Chris come on board. He has a great knowledge of the game, as well as knowing how players and staff operate within a professional environment."