Hore aiming high with Ospreys

Mar 21 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

ANDREW HORE could hardly have arrived back in Wales at a more exciting time for the game in this country.

The former Welsh fitness coach returned just in time to witness another Grand Slam to add to the one he contributed to himself back in 2005.

And his new employers – the Ospreys – are about to enter the most important period in their five-year history as they pursue cup glory on two fronts.

Back in the autumn, it looked as though the Kiwi was all set to work for the WRU again, this time as the governing body’s first elite performance director.

But then, just before Christmas, the Ospreys dropped a bombshell when they announced that he was joining them on a three-and-a-half year contract instead.

So what was behind this sudden change of direction from a man who has spent the past couple of years as player development manager for the New Zealand RFU?

“There were a multitude of factors really,” he said. “But, more than anything, I just felt there needed to be a fresh voice for the Wales set-up moving forward.

“I was probably looking through glasses that had been worn two years previously.

“It was important for the WRU to have a new group of people with new ideas. We had talked a lot about it and came to a decision that it was best for the organisation to have a fresh voice.

“It was a very mature conversation which was great. It was a mutual decision and there was no real animosity there.”

Having decided not to rejoin the WRU, Hore had four or five other options open to him within the UK, but swiftly realised the Ospreys was the set-up for him.

So he now finds himself installed as elite performance director – but for a region rather than Welsh rugby as a whole, with the WRU job having subsequently been filled by former British triathlon chief Graeme Maw.

Hore will have responsibility for all rugby operations at the Ospreys and will oversee a review of the current regional set-up, from top to bottom, before planning and implementing future structures.

He joins the Liberty Stadium outfit as they prepare for two crucial cup clashes against Saracens – tomorrow’s EDF Cup semi-final at the Millennium Stadium and next month’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at Vicarage Road.

“Just being around the Ospreys camp for the last few days I can sense a real air of excitement,” he said.

“Things have gone well on the pitch this season with the team progressing in the cups, we’ve contributed a phenomenal number of players to a successful Six Nations campaign for Wales and we’ve got quality young players coming through the ranks so the excitement is understandable.

“What I have to do now is to work with everybody at the region to build on this and ensure that it’s not all just a flash in the pan.

“We want long-term success on and off the field and it’s my goal to create a long-lasting legacy that will see the Ospreys established as a real world power.

“It’s not going to happen overnight. In the short term I have to find my feet. I may have worked in a Welsh environment previously, but I have to immerse myself in the Ospreys culture, find out what we have here, what goals people have and how they want to achieve these goals before looking at ways to help us go forward.”

Hore, who was Wales conditioning coach from June 2002 to November 2005, added, “I’ll be working on things that will benefit the Ospreys three, four or more years down the line, not three or four months.

“This isn’t a short-term job, so I wouldn’t expect anyone on the outside to be able to see anything change overnight. I’ll be looking at all levels of the business from a rugby perspective with the aim of creating a strategic plan to move the Ospreys forward.

“I want to put in place world-leading practices that will help to not only attract the very best talent but, more importantly, to develop the outstanding talent already in place here, players, coaches and staff alike.

“I’m not here to wield the axe, I’m here to help everyone improve, to identify areas where things could be done differently.

“I won’t be involved on a day-to-day basis like I was at the WRU. It’ll be more like the role I have just left in New Zealand where the targets of the job are long term, allowing me to think more about strategies and structures that can make a real difference without the pressure of having to worry about tomorrow or next week.

“What I’ve seen and heard since I’ve arrived has shown that we have ambitious, go-ahead people involved at all levels, who want to improve themselves and want to improve the region year-on-year which can only be a good thing for all concerned.

“The Ospreys have really bought into the regional concept. They have come a long way in five years – and I am a person for change. We wanted to come back to Wales as a family and this was an ideal opportunity for us.”

As for the latest Grand Slam success, Hore said, “I was lucky enough to be involved with a lot of those guys when I was here before and they are class players.

“Warren Gatland has obviously done a great job to harness that talent. They are good people and I can only see them going from strength to strength.”