Stats Guru Joins Drua as Defence Coach

At the 2011 Rugby World Cup, he was the only Welsh in the All Blacks coaching crew headed by Sir Graham Henry that hoisted the Webb Ellis Trophy.

Meet Alistair Rogers - stats guru and performance analyst to the all-conquering All Blacks and a native of Margam, Port Talbot. He has been officially announced the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua's new defence coach for the upcoming Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific season.

To many Kiwis, Rogers is the 'fourth man' - an everpresent, largely unrecognised figure in the coaching box alongside the more identifiable faces of Graham

Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith. But behind the studious exterior lies an incisive analytical insight that played a crucial role in helping the World Cup hosts end their 24-year-long World Cup drought.

Rogers replaced Brad Harris who finished his tenure with the club and is joining the Melbourne Rebels. Rogers has a stellar track record at first class rugby and will be a valuable addition to Drua head coach Mick Byrne's coaching staff.

He brings almost two decades of coaching and analysis experience to the Drua.

He started out at the community level as Director of Rugby for Ireland's Ballina Rugby Club in 2003 before moving to New Zealand in 2004 where he joined Wellington Rugby Union as an analyst.

In 2008, Rogers progressed to the All Blacks as analyst, and was part of the All Blacks set up through the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup wins. Rogers also has significant experience in Japan's Top League, most notably as defence coach for Toshiba Brave Lupus, where he joins the Drua from, as well as Super Rugby Pacific where he was senior assistant coach with the Blues (2015).

Other previous roles include being a New Zealand Rugby High Performance Coach and an advisor from Clermont Auvergne Rugby Club in France. Drua CEO Mark Evans said: ''Alistair brings with him excellent experience which will be important for us as we embark on our third season of Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific.

"Defence is an ongoing focus for us and our squad and organisation will benefit immensely from his Alistair's insights from working in the top competitions." Byrne added: "We're thrilled to have Al join our coaching staff and look forward to achieving new heights with him as part of the team." Rogers officially starts with the club today as the team heads into its second week of pre-season training.

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