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Dobson would like Fleck to stay on

rugby11 March 2019 19:41| © Cycle Lab
By:JJ Harmse
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Robbie Fleck © Gallo Images

Robbie Fleck is keeping his options open about where he will ply his trade as a coach once his Stormers contract comes to an end in October, but if his successor John Dobson got his wish, it would be somewhere within the Western Province system.

Fleck and Dobson hosted a joint media conference at the WP High Performance Centre on Monday to clear up any confusion that might have arisen out of the announcement last week that Dobson would be taking the Stormers coaching reins from next season.

It isn't completely unheard of for a decision on succession planning to be made a season ahead - Chris Boyd and John Plumtree had a similar arrangement at the Hurricanes last year - but it is nonetheless unusual and there was some criticism of the timing of the announcement.

Fleck, who has been Stormers coach since 2016, has never made it a secret that this would be his last year as head coach.

In fact, he nearly left the Cape last year, when he was made an enticing offer by a Welsh club, but was spoken into staying on and did so on the basis that this season, 2019, would be the culmination of his four-year plan.

The rugby world operates in four year cycles between World Cups these days, and Fleck felt duty bound when the northern hemisphere came knocking to remain on and coach the group that had started the current cycle with him.

He's always felt this year, with so many of the players who were still youngsters in 2015 now maturing, would be the best chance of success for the group. He had that in mind when he opted to stay on.

There has never been any question of Fleck wanting to stay on as head coach beyond this year and it does explain the unusual decision to announce Dobson as next year's coach when the new season was only three matches old.

As both Fleck and Dobson explained, the early appointment and announcement was driven by the need to bring stability to a player group that, for several reasons, was uncertain of the way forward.

Not least of those reasons of course was the status of former assistant coach Paul Treu, who although he could be described as the elephant in the room at Monday's press conference, wasn't mentioned at all.

Players expressed concerns about the possibility of Treu being appointed to the director of rugby position, soon to be vacated by Gert Smal, at a meeting with union officials last month.

The directorship position has subsequently been abolished, meaning that there will be no replacement for Smal, thus scuppering the possibility that Fleck and Dobson might end up working together as director and head coach respectively.

STILL THE MAN IN CHARGE

Some kind of working relationship between the pair though is still possible, particularly if the Stormers do well in the coming months, and it would make sense given the amount of time both coaches have worked in the system.

Importantly, Dobson, who will take on more powers than Fleck enjoyed once he is installed as the new coach as there is no longer a director of rugby in place, says he is amenable to it.

"Fleckie has 20 years of IP that he has built up working at this union and it would be sad if we did not make use of that (if he was available)," said Dobson.

"I would be delighted if he stayed on. Technically he is superb and he knows every inch of this union both on and off the field. So if Robbie is in this union next year I would be delighted. It is not my decision to make, but I would be delighted for him to stay on."

For his part Fleck is thinking in the here and now, which means he is completely focused on making his last season as head coach a successful one, and in so doing pave the way for a smooth transition for Dobson by encouraging players to stay on in a successful and happy environment.

But he also made it clear that the loyalty he has for WP built up through 20 years of service makes the prospect of staying on in a back-room role, helping Dobson, an attractive one if it was possible.

"If there is a job in South Africa I would like to think it would be in Cape Town. I love this union. I have been here for 20 years, 10 as a player and now 10 as a coach, and my loyalty hasn't disappeared," said Fleck.

"I am going to keep my options open, and will look abroad if there is an option there, but will talk to the company about possibly staying on and working within the set-up. I do feel like I have a lot to offer. But my primary focus right now is to do well this year and really enjoy my last season as head coach of the Stormers."

Of course if Fleck guides the Stormers to a successful season, and despite Dobson's presence in the coaching group there is no question of Fleck relinquishing control, he is still very much the man in charge, then that will increase his chances of staying on in some capacity.

If the Stormers win the competition for the first time, it might even reignite the conversation about the directorship.

Whether staying on would be good for Fleck's coaching career is an interesting question, for there are probably many top coaches who'd advise him to grow himself as a coach by moving out of a Cape rugby environment that many in the industry consider stifling.

But Dobson's point about Fleck's experience and knowledge of the difficult WP environment is nonetheless a valid one and given the high pressured nature of the job, he could probably do with someone to bounce ideas off and help absorb the pressure in the same way that Smal has with Fleck over the past few years.

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