Opinion | Catt for Drua’s head coach job?

A former Rugby World Cup (RWC) winner could be the next Fijian Drua head coach.

It is understood that former England full-back Mike Catt, is the man to take over from where Glen Jackson left off with the Drua.

Catt was England’s full-back when they won the 2003 RWC in Sydney, Australia. He also played in the final of the 2007 RWC, where at the age of 36, he became the oldest player ever to play in the final. Catt played 75 Test matches for England and also had a stint with the British & Irish Lions. He played at full-back, first-five eighth and second five-eighth.

Catt won many prestigious awards throughout his career, he was named the Premiership Player of the Year in 2006 after playing consistently well throughout the season.

He joined Bath in 1992 as started in their 1998 Heineken Cup final in which Bath were victorious. He played a total of 227 times for the club in a period of 12 years, scoring an astonishing 837 points.

Eventually, Catt moved to London Irish in 2004 and stayed here until the end of his career in 2010. During his time with the club, Catt made 76 appearances, scoring 61 points.

The 54 year-old was NSW Waratahs attack coach for the past two Super Rugby Pacific seasons. Through mutual agreement, he left the Waratahs as soon as this season ended, eventhough he still had a year to go in his contract.

Catt was England’s backline coach from 2012-2015, then Italy’s attack coach from 2016-2019 and Ireland 2019-2024. He worked under renowned head coaches like Stuart Lancaster (England), Conor O’Shea (Italy) and Andy Farrell (Ireland).

Also, he spends time as a rugby speaker, where he often discusses the importance of teamwork and maximising success.

Catt originally hails from Port Elizabeth in South Africa and played for Eastern Province in 1989. He had an English mother and that qualified him to play for England.

There were 42 applicants for the head coach’s job and Drua’s chief executive officer Jeff Miller said, they were going to complete the selection process this month before making the official announcement in August.

It is believed that the other top contenders for the head coach’s job includes Chris Gibbes and Brad Harris.

Jackson joins Japan

Meanwhile, former Drua head coach Jackson has joined the Japan coaching team led by head coach Eddie Jones. He witnessed the Brave Blossoms’ 27-10 triumph at the sold out Chichibunomiya Stadium in Tokyo and visited the home team’s dressing room post-match.

Jackson is expected to fill the role vacated by Japan’s former attack coach Dan Bowden who left their coaching team last year.