Larkham yearning for ACT reunion

[Burgs]

Stephen Larkham wants to return home to the ACT Brumbies next year and help guide the team back to Super rugby glory.

The Canberra Times can reveal Larkham is one of five candidates who will be interviewed for the role of attack coach for next season's Super 15.

The 36-year-old applied for the position last week after his father and president of ACT Rugby Union Geoff Larkham alerted him to the vacancy.

The former Brumbies and Wallabies flyhalf will have a teleconference interview next week.

The interview panel will consist of Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan, head coach Andy Friend and senior players.

While they scored more tries in 2010 than they did the season before, the Brumbies' improved player roster this year had more points in it than it produced.

Larkham has spoken with Fagan about the coaching role and is excited about the prospect of potentially returning to Canberra.

He is currently in Japan playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in the Top League competition.

"I'm preparing for the interview as best I can and I hope I'm in with a pretty good shot," Larkham told The Canberra Times yesterday.

"A teleconference, it's not quite as personable as a face-to-face interview but it's the best we could do. Coaching, 10 years ago I wasn't thinking about it but the closer I got to the end of my playing days the more I'd been thinking about it.

"There's still an interview process to get through but I'm definitely interested and keen to see how things pan out."

Larkham has one more season remaining on his contract with Ricoh. The Japanese Top League season finishes in January.

The top 10 teams are then involved in a month-long All Japan competition.

The Brumbies' pre-season begins in October so Larkham would either have to seek an early release from the final year of his Japanese deal or miss the bulk of the ACT pre-season.

"The predicament is the Brumbies need an answer in the next two weeks and with Ricoh not finishing until February, something would have to be worked out," Larkham said. "I think both parties would accommodate each other if it got to that point."

Brumbies Academy coach Darren Coleman is one of the other four candidates to have reached the interview stage.

The other three remain unknown.

[TOCC]

I think the Brumbies are heading down a dangerous path where they continue to bring former players back as coaches, a good player does not make a good coach. Its also a little insular by constantly recruiting within your own, admittedly they have a good set up with breeds success, but fresh ideas are necessary to avoid going stale.

[WF2006]

a good player does not make a good coach.

In general, I am in agreement with this statement, however I think Larkham was always a player that used his noggin more than most on the field, and would hence transition well into coaching.

[mudskipper]

Still no news on Larkham returning to the Brumbies coaching... He is coming in as a backs coach which is a new role. After last season I thinks its worth while. Plenty of talent in the Brumbies backs with some young talent coming through, such as McCabe, Stubbs, Colemen, Sills and White.