Down Under mission for Howley

Jun 20 2007 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

BLUES coach Rob Howley is heading Down Under on a fact-finding mission as he prepares for the new season.

The former Wales skipper will be meeting up with the likes of ex-Wallaby boss Eddie Jones as well as picking the brains of one of Australia’s top rugby league coaches.

It’s a trip that has been arranged jointly by the WRU and the Blues with the aim of broadening Howley’s experience and developing his coaching ability.

“It’s called continuing professional development,” explained the 37-year-old former Wales and Lions scrum-half (pictured left).

“I’ve had two years working as a coach, you’re never the finished article.”

As well as spending time with Jones, Howley will also be meeting Wallabies skills coach Scott Wisemantel and Brisbane Broncos RL coach Wayne Bennett.

Howley said he was particularly keen to renew his acquaintance with ex-Kangaroos international and coach Bennett.

“The credentials of these guys speak for themselves, especially Wayne’s,” he said. “He came to see us at Wasps before we won the Heineken Cup final against Toulouse, and you just got that aura off him as soon as he walked into the room.

“I’ll be seeing how he handles the day-to-day running of Broncos’ training sessions and will observe his match-day control when they play West Tigers at the Suncorp Stadium next Monday.”

Meanwhile, Blues backs coach Howley has added his thoughts to the debate on the controversial omission of lock Brent Cockbain from Wales’ 41-man World Cup squad.

“I was surprised. From a personal point of view, I thought Brent was absolutely fantastic when the Ospreys beat us in the EDF semi-final,” he said.

“Maybe coaches are looking at technical and tactical skills, but Brent has an X-factor outside that. From the outside looking in, I’d say that he’s been an important member of Wales’ recent success, notably in the 2005 Grand Slam.

“But I’m sure that Wales coaches Gareth Jenkins and Nigel Davies have their reasons for leaving him out.”

On the regional front, the Blues have frozen their season ticket prices across the board for the 2007-08 campaign. Chief executive Robert Norster said, “Our support this past year has been fantastic.

“Over 26,000 people turned up at the Millennium Stadium to support us against Leicester in the Heineken Cup and our average attendance was up to almost 9,500, which shows how much the region has grown over the last four years.

“The 2006-07 season was a very positive one, both on and off the field. The team narrowly lost out on the Magners League title on the final weekend, but still managed to finish second, our highest finish in the league to date.

“We are delighted to be able to offer our supporters the chance to purchase season tickets for the same prices as last year and thank them for their loyalty.”