Shelford keen to return to coaching

MURRAY WILSON/Manawatu Standard

BUCK'S BACK: Former All Black Wayne "Buck" Shelford with player Phong Ha during a coaching session.

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Wayne Shelford wants to get into coaching at Super rugby level after next year's World Cup in New Zealand.

The All Black legend and former captain, better known as "Buck", was in Palmerston North this week as part of the coaching staff for the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand.

Shelford has sold the country hotel that he ran for two decades and was moving into property development, mixed in with short-term stints as a coach for the IRANZ courses.

He was part of the coaching staff at North Harbour in the National Provincial Championship from 1997-2002 and is looking to the next level. "I wouldn't mind getting a full-time job in New Zealand somewhere, someday," he said.

"Even as an assistant, that sort of thing. Probably after the World Cup in 2011 I'll put the feelers out there."

Shelford has commitments with his North Shore club for the next two seasons but was available for negotiations after that.

He coached at Saracens in England in 2002 and 2003. In 2007 he was treated for lymphoma, a cancer which affects the white blood cells. The 52-year-old said next year's World Cup would be a great event in New Zealand's rugby history. "Hopefully we can pull it off with a lot of style and razzmatazz and the locals get in behind it."

Shelford, who became a cult hero in New Zealand rugby after being controversially dropped from the All Blacks in 1990 sparking the "Bring Back Buck" campaign, said the Air New Zealand Cup's current model of 14 teams might not last indefinitely.

"I thought it worked very well last year. It was a good tournament. I think it'll be revisited in the next couple of years.

"I think it probably can't sustain it unless you get a lot of backing from the local community in regards to getting bums on seats. "Many of the provinces had some good gates last year because they got some good weather."

- © Fairfax NZ News