Rugby Southland have today announced further coaching appointments for the SBS Bank Southland Stags.

Working alongside Head Coach Scott Eade for the 2026 Bunnings NPC season will be Marty McKenzie and Richard Jones as full-time in-season Assistant Coaches.

They will be joined by past co-coach and assistant David Hall, who returns to the coaching group in the role of Technical Advisor – Scrums.

Having been part of the coaching group over the last two years in a lesser role, Marty McKenzie will step up to lead the team’s attack, among other responsibilities.

Successful long-time Woodlands Premier Head Coach Richard Jones joins the Stags coaching team after spending the first six weeks of this year’s campaign full-time in the environment. He will lead team and individual skills, along with other key responsibilities.

On these appointments, Rugby Southland Chief Executive Hua Tamariki said:

“These Southland men have toiled diligently across all levels of our community game, as well as across a large number of our representative teams, for a long period of time. We are extremely lucky to be in a position to support Scotty with a group who collectively possess a range of diverse experiences and a high level of modern-day rugby IQ.”

He added:

“Marty has played rugby at a very high level and sees the game in a way that many of us do not. What we’ve seen with Marty over the last two years, as well as his time coaching in the community with our high-talent athletes, is that he possesses the ability to teach what he sees in a manner that is clearly understood by our players.”

Richard Jones has been at the helm of a dominant premier club team over recent years, amassing an enviable coaching record by leading Woodlands to multiple Galbraith Shield titles.

Tamariki said:

“Jonesy’s been through our coaching pathway, and we’re excited to provide him with the next step in his coaching journey. Coming from a teaching background and currently in the role of Assistant Principal, he brings to the group a holistic lens and a highly honed communication skill set.”

On the appointment of David Hall, Tamariki said:

“David has capably led our community rugby team here at Rugby Southland over the last 18 months but would be the first to say he still has the coaching itch to scratch. From the beginning of 2026, we’re wanting to lift our delivery and coach development offerings to our community, and with Daryl Thomson calling time on his lengthy service as our scrum expert during the NPC season, we saw an opportunity to bring David across into the coaching development space full-time — where he can better balance that coach development work alongside offering his experience and technical expertise by taking on the scrum responsibilities for the Stags.”

There remains one vacant Forwards Assistant Coach role, which Rugby Southland are currently canvassing options for.

Article added: Friday 07 November 2025