Former Sharks assistant coach Grant Bashford has joined Dick Muir’s Russia coaching team on a three-year contract.
History is repeating itself for Bashford, who was last involved with the Sharks as John Plumtree’s assistant in 2013, as it was Muir who first recruited him to be his assistant at the Sharks back in 2005. Muir’s contract to coach Russia was announced late last year and he is already living in the country and has moved there fulltime.
Bashford says he won’t be joining Muir in relocating as Russia are only in action for parts of the year.
“I will be there when Russia are playing, I will arrive two weeks before their first game in each phase of the international season,” said Bashford.
“For instance, I am leaving for Russia tomorrow (Saturday) to help prepare for our away game against Romania a fortnight from now. I will be away for seven weeks as we are playing games against Holland, Georgia and Spain during that time. It will be nice to get to see parts of the world that rugby coaches don’t often get to, certainly different to the diet of matches in New Zealand and Australia we had when in my eight-year involvement with Super Rugby.
“Dick is there fulltime, but we felt that given the nature of the job, and the fact there will be long periods when the team is not playing, it would not be worth it to relocate my family. So, I will commute and be used when I am needed. There will also be times when Dick will need me to come over and help him out with the clubs. It will be an interesting challenge and fun to coach with Dick again. Hopefully, we can make it to the World Cup in France. I'd love to have that experience.”
Bashford has been coaching Northwood school for the past few years and doing so successfully but said he felt it was time for a change and feels he has left the school coaching reins in good hands with Jeremy McLaren, former KZN Schools coach, there as director of rugby.