On his return from the Olympic Games where he is hoping to guide GB Women to golden glory in the Rio 7s, Richie Pugh will take up a new position as WRU 7s assistant coach to Gareth Williams.
Currently in Rio de Janeiro acting as assistant coach to Simon Middleton for Team GB 7s Womenâs squad, Pugh was an integral member of the Wales squad who stunned the rugby world in 2009 when claiming the Rugby World Cup Sevens crown in Dubai.
He has been influential in the development of the sevens game for women in Wales over the past three years and is now looking forward to assisting Williams in preparing a competitive squad for the forthcoming World Rugby Sevens series which kicks off in December in Dubai.
âOnce the Olympics is complete I will be a full-time assistant for Gareth and the menâs programme which is really exciting. Iâve been in and out working with them over the last year or so while working with the womenâs programme â itâs great that I get the opportunity to progress my coaching development and get to work with Garethâs quality on a full time basis,â said Pugh.
âIâve always said working with the girls has been a huge factor in how I approach my coaching. I am still in my infancy in a sense as a coach but working with the girls has helped me develop and Iâve really enjoyed working with them over the past three years, and if there is an opportunity I will continue to help and support the players and womenâs 7s team,â he said.
âIâve worked with Gareth over the past as a player and now Iâm really looking forward to working alongside him as an assistant coach. These are exciting times for sevens and Iâm delighted to have been given this opportunity.â
WRU Rugby Performance Manager, Geraint John, added: âThis new role shows our commitment to the sevens programme. Richie has a wealth of experience of sevens at the highest level and I have no doubt he will be an invaluable addition to our sevens management team.
âRichie will work and support mainly with the menâs team, plus help in the identification of players both at a young age and Premiership level. He will also support the womenâs 7s team and their coaching team when he has an opportunity to do so.
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