WRL wish Anthony Seibold good luck in Rabbitohs role

Everyone at Wales Rugby League would like to congratulate Anthony Seibold on his appointment yesterday as the new head coach of NRL side South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Seibold spent five seasons in Wales from 2006-10 and made a massive impact throughout his tenure.

Player-assistant coach of Celtic Crusaders in 2006, he made 12 appearances scoring four tries and helped lead the Crusaders to the play-offs in National League Two (now known as League 1).

That was his final season playing Rugby League. From 2007-09, he was solely assistant to Celtic Crusaders head coach John Dixon and helped lead Crusaders to two successive promotions and then through their first season in Super League.

When Crusaders moved to Wrexham in 2010, Seibold remained in the south of Wales and helped set up new club South Wales Scorpions (now known as Ironmen) where he was the club’s first head coach and in turn this was his first head coach position.

Under his outstanding leadership, the Scorpions won their first four games of the season, all against established historic opponents, and the fledgling club were top of this league for a week, still the only time they’ve been in this position.

Leading the Scorpions to the play-offs, they exited in the first round but Seibold was voted as “Coach of the Year” by his peers. In 2010, he was also involved in the Welsh national set-up, as a performance manager at junior level and was also the assistant coach for the Wales national team as they beat France to qualify for the Four Nations. That was his final match with a Welsh outfit before returning to Australia.

Current South Wales Ironmen captain and potential Wales 2017 World Cup squad member Christiaan Roets, played under Seibold for both Scorpions and Wales in 2010 and he was delighted to hear about his former coach’s appointment.

“I am ecstatic to hear the news,” Roets said. “Seibs was massive for the original Scorpions. He instantly had respect from everyone involved, had a great work ethic and lead by example. He was very professional and approachable and his input ultimately lead to both the success we had throughout the first two seasons in League 1 and him being selected as assistant coach for Wales.

“Seibs is definitely one of the best coaches I have ever played under. He has great knowledge and understanding of the game.  I wish him all the best with his new challenge at South Sydney Rabbitohs and I have every bit of confidence that he will relish in it and make a great success of it.”

Christiaan Roets has been named in the South Wales Ironmen squad for the encounter tomorrow (Saturday) against his former club North Wales Crusaders at Stebonheath Park in Llanelli (kick-off 3pm). For more information, please go to www.ironmenrl.wales.

Please also go to https://youtu.be/-RCUnnpVCSY for an historic interview with Anthony Seibold after winning Coach of the Year in 2010.