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Thread: Simon Cron will be new Head Coach

  1. #1
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    Simon Cron will be new Head Coach

    https://westernforce.rugby/news/west...-coach-2022328

    Western Force sign new Head Coach

    Sun, 27/03/2022, 7:10 pm
    by Western Force Media

    The Western Force has lured one of the world’s best up and coming coaches, Simon Cron, back to Australia from Japan to lead the team for at least the next two seasons.

    Cron is presently Head Coach at Japanese club Toyota Verblitz where he was recruited and mentored by All Blacks coaching legend Steve Hansen, who is the club’s Director of Rugby. Cron replaces Tim Sampson whose contract expires at the end of this season.

    Cron has an impressive coaching record that extends through Australia and overseas. Apart from working in Japan, he has been Head Coach of the Australian under-20 team, Assistant Coach at the Waratahs, Head Coach of the Sydney Rays in the NRC and Premiership winning Head Coach of Northern Suburbs in the Shute Shield.

    Western Force owner Dr Andrew Forrest said Cron has an outstanding reputation in the game for developing and attracting player talent.

    "Simon is one of world rugby's most talented young coaches whose philosophy is to make better rugby players, both on and off the field,” Dr Forrest said.

    "It is his dedication to values, player wellbeing and growth, as well as his respected coaching ability, that we are really looking forward to at the Force.

    “Simon's leadership and technical knowledge of the game will be welcomed by the player and coaching team at the Force, as it builds to be a true powerhouse in world rugby.

    "A huge thanks to Tim Sampson for his great and tireless role in bringing the Force back into Super Rugby. He has been a true champion of the club. Nicola and I wish him all the best in the next chapter of his rugby coaching career."

    Sampson said that since joining the Western Force, he has seen significant growth throughout the organisation and is comfortable knowing the club is trending in the right direction and that it will be handed over in great shape.

    “The Western Force’s success and resurgence back into Super Rugby is testimony to the leadership and support from Andrew and Nicola Forrest, along with fellow staff and players who have contributed in many ways since my arrival at the commencement of the 2018 season,” Sampson said.

    “My focus hasn’t changed. We are determined to achieve success and perform well for the remainder of the season.”

    Cron said he was attracted to and excited by the club’s vision, its drive to create something unique in world rugby and Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s passion and support for the Force.

    “Andrew Forrest took time out of his extremely busy schedule to talk with me around his family's love of the Western Force and how it is a key part of the Western Australian sporting community,” Cron said.

    “We had an opportunity to talk about what is important to each of us and it was clear he lives by the values he has installed into his businesses.

    “I see the Western Force as a club which has fought through adversity and come out the other side because of a genuine love of rugby within the organisation and its amazing supporters, the Sea of Blue.

    “I look forward to working with the players, coaches and staff to develop a team that will inspire the next generation of Western Australian boys and girls to want to play rugby, as well as help those currently playing to grow within our game. I also look forward to helping shape a team the Sea of Blue and all of Western Australia can be mighty proud of.”

    Western Force CEO Tony Lewis said Cron’s recruitment is an important step in building the Force into the leading club in Super Rugby Pacific.

    “Simon’s ambition is to lead the Western Force to success,” Lewis said. “He will be a great addition to the club as we continue to strive to be a world class organisation. He brings outstanding leadership and will bring the best out of the coaches and players.

    “Both the club and Simon are hungry for results and we must continue to push the limits.

    “To do this he will attract, retain, develop and produce the next generation of Wallabies players through the Force High Performance system and lead the development of the best Australian coaches within the Western Force.

    "Tim Sampson is a class act. The Force has great respect for him and his incredible efforts over the last five years as he has guided the club through Global Rapid Rugby and the successful return to Super Rugby."

    Cron will move with his family to Perth from Japan in September to start working with the playing and coaching team.

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  2. #2
    Champion Contributor todd4's Avatar
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    Wow! That came out of the blue

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    Wow indeed. Didn't see that coming. Cron is a good get, but very tough on Sampson who has been rather good since coming over.

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  4. #4
    Veteran Sheikh's Avatar
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    Hopefully Sampson gets another gig. Given our contacts with Altrad, maybe Montpellier! I wonder how good his French is.

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    Champion Tazzmania's Avatar
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    Bittersweet moment in the Force's history.

    Tim has been instrumental in taking us from the ashes to GRR and onto a potential finals team again this year in super rugby.

    He has been the right fit for us and fit for purpose coach, to get us to were we are and we have to be forever greatful to him and acknowledge his achievements.

    He can hold his head up high and leave knowing that not many coaches would have achieved what he did, in a professional sporting market, it is not often a coach can leave as a "winner" in the players and fans eyes.

    While he achieved this he was always humble, friendly, respectful and most importantly took time to enagage and acknowledge the fans.

    He will leave the Force as a friend and Force and Perth Spirit legend and will be etched in our rugby history.

    Thank you Tim.

    For the team to go up to the next level, it does need something else, in Simon Cron I think the Force have recruited well (time and results will tell), I look forward to the journey that began with still a fair few amount of us left at that rally back in 2004 and look forward to continuing its positive upward trajectory that we have had since Nicola and Andrew rescued us from the ashes.

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    Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”

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    Bittersweet moment. I think Tim Sampson has done a great job building up the team from nothing and making us once again a competitive super rugby team. He has also developed a lot of great young players for us (Fines, Fergus, Feleti, etc....). He is also just a top notch bloke but I do agree that we need someone else now. someone who can take us to that next level where we aren't just a competitive team but a top super rugby team. We can see from the current season, we have done well but we have just not been able to quite crack open that next level yet. Tim has done a great job building the foundations, it's now Cron's job to take us to the next level.

    I wish Tim all the best and look forward to seeing him further develop and grow as a coach.

    Finally I just want to respond to what some people are saying on Facebook about how this was not a "nice" move by the Force. The Force is a professional sporting organization and while some decisions like this one can be hard to swallow, we have to win games and be successful and sometimes that means making hard decisions. We are competing against some of the toughest rugby teams in the world (I think the Crusaders could beat some test team sides), and that means we need the best coaches, players and backroom staff that we can get.

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  7. #7
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    Yes I’m sad for Tim but understand it’s sport and not finite job unless they are winning consistently but they aren’t so they need to try something new. I wonder if the team has been a bit unsettled by this in the last few weeks. Maybe just reading to much into it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by volvo View Post
    Bittersweet moment. I think Tim Sampson has done a great job building up the team from nothing and making us once again a competitive super rugby team. He has also developed a lot of great young players for us (Fines, Fergus, Feleti, etc....). He is also just a top notch bloke but I do agree that we need someone else now. someone who can take us to that next level where we aren't just a competitive team but a top super rugby team. We can see from the current season, we have done well but we have just not been able to quite crack open that next level yet. Tim has done a great job building the foundations, it's now Cron's job to take us to the next level.

    I wish Tim all the best and look forward to seeing him further develop and grow as a coach.

    Finally I just want to respond to what some people are saying on Facebook about how this was not a "nice" move by the Force. The Force is a professional sporting organization and while some decisions like this one can be hard to swallow, we have to win games and be successful and sometimes that means making hard decisions. We are competing against some of the toughest rugby teams in the world (I think the Crusaders could beat some test team sides), and that means we need the best coaches, players and backroom staff that we can get.
    So true! Tim has been immense for the Force - we were so lucky to have him on board at that time. He has formed the foundation of the team & where they're at now. And as a professional team to reach the next level, it's a hard decision but I guess there are targets that need to be reached. He is a lovely bloke - always generous with his time & chat. Some of those on facebook are also ones who have been complaining about 'losing valiantly' and so on, so who is to be held responsible? Isn't it ultimately on the HC? I don't know what goes on in the coaching background. but I thought it was the Coach who makes the final call, and at the moment it's not been working quite right with the team. Have thought something has been a bit off with the team for a couple of weeks, so perhaps this has been brewing for a while. I still don't understand how they played so well in the first game & then seemed to lose their way. Just hope Cron can reach the benchmarks that Tim has done for the Force.

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Ditto on all the plaudits for Tim.

    The Japanese League 1 winds up in May. That will be a bonus as there 32 players off contract at season's end. Cron will be pretty busy. On balance, his reputation & record are likely to go a long way towards getting that sorted. As far as our performances this year; effort has not been lacking. We may just have been underestimated early in the season but not any more. There may not be any great mystery here - nor anyone to blame; the Brumbies and the like just have stronger squads with higher skill levels right now. Simples.

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    Last edited by shasta; 28-03-22 at 09:26.
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    I too respect Tim and appreciate what he has done for the Force and us supporters over the last 5 years. But realistically the results haven't been there since we re-joined Super Rugby (5 wins out of 26 if my counting is correct). It is difficult to sustain a professional team with honourable losses and so a change of direction is understandable.

    Re timing, it has all the hallmarks of a leak to @geerob (perhaps from Japan or NZ) who was going to publish anyway, hence the short notice from the Force. At least Tim wasn't sacked and shown the door like most other sporting teams seem to do and I hope we'll all get a chance to thank him later in the year. On the upside, this does allow active recruitment on the basis of a change in direction.

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    Nice to see the whole thing done professionally, with the outgoing coach seeing out a contract rather than sacked, the incoming coach organised and announced in a timely manner, and most importantly the whole thing happening without endless speculation, mud and confusion in the press.

    I'd disagree Steve, it seems to me it has been announced the moment all the pieces were in place and fixed. If it had been leaked, everything wouldn't be in place and it would be talking about plans, not deeds. In fact, any other time and it would have been the same sort of unedifying shambles that usually characterises these things. Leaked before inked and it would have all been speculation, rumour, awkward questions in post-match interviews, commentary about the relationship with players, knife squads in the player group, etc, etc. Later and it would have all been secret moves by Force management, stringing the poor coach along, keeping the players and long-suffering fans in the dark, etc, etc. No doubt there will be comments from the peanut gallery and agenda driven anyway, but the Force seems to have done as much as is possible to minimise their air by running a professional and watertight process until there was something to announce. Probably helps that less of the press care, but I could see some of them being seriously pissed to have heard nothing.

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    Last edited by AndyS; 28-03-22 at 10:50.

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    Champion Tazzmania's Avatar
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    Having perused a number of websites and read numerous comments I believe Tim will forever leave his footprint on WA Rugby.

    Setting aside the pros and cons of the decision, it has been tremendous and heart warming to see the support, fondness and good things being said about Tim.

    It is not often a coach leaves a job with such a postive vibe, it is a testament to Tim his character, personality and values.

    Whatever he does or embarks on next, I am sure he will again leave his postive footprint.

    Thank you Tim

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    Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyS View Post
    Nice to see the whole thing done professionally, with the outgoing coach seeing out a contract rather than sacked, the incoming coach organised and announced in a timely manner, and most importantly the whole thing happening without endless speculation, mud and confusion in the press.

    I'd disagree Steve, it seems to me it has been announced the moment all the pieces were in place and fixed. If it had been leaked, everything wouldn't be in place and it would be talking about plans, not deeds. In fact, any other time and it would have been the same sort of unedifying shambles that usually characterises these things. Leaked before inked and it would have all been speculation, rumour, awkward questions in post-match interviews, commentary about the relationship with players, knife squads in the player group, etc, etc. Later and it would have all been secret moves by Force management, stringing the poor coach along, keeping the players and long-suffering fans in the dark, etc, etc. No doubt there will be comments from the peanut gallery and agenda driven anyway, but the Force seems to have done as much as is possible to minimise their air by running a professional and watertight process until there was something to announce. Probably helps that less of the press care, but I could see some of them being seriously pissed to have heard nothing.
    A number of times in the last 4-5 years the Force have kept everything under wraps until all the contracts were signed, and only then gave a press release. All the hallmarks of a successful business, where you don't negotiate in public - everything is confidential until agreed.

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    A couple of notable shambles spring to mind though...interviewing Chieka then suddenly signing Foley (not that that was necessarily bad, just badly managed), and the whole 'team song' saga. Foley, Mitchell and Graham were all the subject of lots of negatively slanted press articles before things got sorted too, from memory.

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    Thanks Tim !
    You’re a star ….. and WILL be successful going forward.
    Such good memories since you took over coaching the Force
    Feelings ambivalent by this …

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