Canadian Suggit wins women's 7s post

Canadian Ric Suggit is to coach the women's 7s Eagles, replacing Sue Parker after less than a year.

The move can be seen as confirming USARFU's preference for Commonwealth figures. Like Suggit, the union's chairman, chief executive, and men's 15s coach are foreigners specially brought in to fill high-profile role.

Coming right after seven-a-side's admission to the Olympic Games, a phenomenon expected to bring ample new resources to the abbreviated game, the hiring is likely to renew debate over the idea that the 'professional' rugby can succeed in America only if Americans are able to try their hands as professionals. 

'I am delighted that we have been able to find a coach for our women's sevens team who has so much international experience in both men's and women's rugby,' CEO Nigel Melville said in a press release.

Melville deferred questions about the search process to women's high performance manager Alex Williams, who had not responded to an email query. 

Parker, named to the post last May after Julie McCoy stepped down following the USA's semifinal showing at the 2009 World Cup, was initially among the pool of candidates but opted to withdraw, according to Rugby Magazine, which had commissioned from her an article on women's 7s for its upcoming issue.

Suggit, better known as 'Sluggo', led the Canadian men's 15s team to a 10-18-1 record from 2004-07, including a series of a one-sided wins over Peter Thorburn's Eagles, and to the 2007 World Cup, where the Maple Leafs posted an 0-3-1 mark. After the world championship, his contract was not renewed.

Separately, Stephen Hazel is taking over as coach of the Denver Barbarians from Dave Hodges, who is stepping away to focus on his responsibilities as national team assistant. 

Hazel led the Barbos to their only Super League championship during a previous stint as head man, in 1998-99. In the same era, he managed the Eagles at the 1998 Pan American Championship and the 1999 World Cup.

Comments

[WTF]

If USA Rugby doesn't even have a capable women's rugby coach they should quit playing the sport.

How could a Canadian with a losing record, be better than ALL the Americans?

Americans are looked down upon in US rugby, by the foreign administrators running USA RUGBY.

[WTF]

You would think that USAR would, or should, be more transparent in these hires.

Who were the finalist for the position. Why did Sue step away so quickly? Was she pushed away?

The high priced CEO side steps the question and directs the media to a staffer, semi-volunteer. The women's high performance manager then doesn't feel any need to make a statement about the process.

Who the f*uk died and gave these people total control over all things rugby in the US, without even needing to explain themselves to the membership.

USAR isn't a private family company where the owners can do anything they like. The owners of the rugby union are the members. These people should feel an obligation to explain the process and each decision they make.

This is what's wrong with USAR. The USAR Board of Directors are untouchable and accountable to no one. The employees, the CEO, work for the Board. Congress has little authority and even less ambition to represent the membership.

The average dues paying member of USAR is completely disconnected from the rugby union, just the way the officials want it. Just keep sending in your dues suckers!

Also, I heard the AA coach has been selected. Once again, no timely announcement, no explanation of the process, no comments on term, or why the person was appointed.

Until the threat of the USCRA breakaway, this rugby union had no planning, nothing on paper to explain the union's priorities or guide their work. Now they are in a scramble to create a strategic plan, go figure.

USAR doesn't release to the membership, financial or budget information.

USAR is a dues based organization which is run by a group of foreigners like a private company.

[Anon]

Individually I don't really have an issue with any of the USAR hires. You could make a case for (Mark) Griffin, Melville, Thorburn, Suggitt, Johnson, Thompson Smyth, O'Sullivan, O'leary, Wiggins, Friend, Steinberg, Chivers etc

But jeez... This is getting ridiculous.

Either American rugby people are SERIOUSLY inadequate or there is something wrong with the process.

I don't have any reason why any of the people stated before shouldn't be coach but it does get a little disheartening of hearing an accent on 95% of our leaders.

The womens coach, Lehner and the USA Select coaches are the only Americans in the Elite setup now.

The Selects are a thrown together side that does not do justice to the players or coaches and Lehner could have an argument that he should be a little higher on the ladder.

I usually pay no weight to the "foreigners running our Union" - I think it should be the best candidate. But I can't ignore it any longer.

[to be clear]

Let's distinguish between foreigners (people who dont live in America and are brought here to do a job for USAR) and other people who have been in America doing good things for a while but may have an accent. Steinberg, for one, has built the best college women's program in the country and a lot of other fine things for his neck of the woods. Not making the distinction between hired guns and these kinds of people make you sound like an ass.

[One of Jerry's Kids]

can we agree to call them mercenaries? administrators and coaches alike, have usually been proven to be detrimental to our growth.

[DaTruth]

Salty Thompson, Sean O'Leary, Pete Steinberg - at the least - have each lived here in the US for years. "Citizens", I believe is the term for them... Some of the others named may be too, but I don't know their stories. So to agree with "to be clear", let's not jump to conclusions about their qualifications or loyalties.

I fully agree with the sentiments about coaches (and players) "parachuting in" from abroad -- but the people mentioned are long-standing servants to the game.

This is the age of professionalism -- if your priorities are to hire the best possible available coach, then being from overseas shouldn't disqualify them.

However, if your priority is to develop homegrown talent (or at least on-shore talent), then you hire/promote from within.

It just speaks to the priorities of USA Rugby, and it's clear that developing professional American coaches isn't a priority.

[sad sad sad]

Ok my priorities are to hire the best. Are you telling me there isn't a better American coach, somebody part of American rugby, who is better than a losing record Canadian coach?

Or is the system for appointing/hiring coaches so skewed towards non-Americans that near every position of any importance is held by funny talkers of kinds.

Rock bottom is hiring a coach the Canadians fired.

[Anon]

I should have chosen a better word than foreigner. I appologize. Those mentioned - even the ones who were flown in had good intentions and I think all of them did good jobs.

The contributions of Steinberg, O'leary and others clearly speak for themselves.

I'm not arguing against them.

[who cares]

I was following the women's 7's team somewhat. They are our best team in terms of results, but this appointment sickens me.

I'm afraid this is just one more Eagles team I won't have to worry about or follow.

It was different with an American coach and a bunch of yank ladies. It won't be long before we will be flying in some gal.

[Pavlov's Dog]

How can this be seen as anything but a good hire? The Pavlovian responses here are as predictable as they are laughable.

[what]

Well since the CEO of USAR and the Women's HP director aren't willing to explain the process or rational for the hire, why don't you Pavlov.

Explain how a Canadian coach, with a losing record, the CRU felt so lowly of they didn't ask him to reapply, now coaches our team. Explain why the last coach slides away in a year without a peep. Explain how with several years of IRB developmental dollars we haven't got a coaches ed program worthy of producing our own women's national team coach.

Since no one on the big bucks is explaining things take a crack.

Sluggo is a dud. If we are going to not hire a member of our own coaching community, lets go get some star, what the hell are we doing hiring sluggo? The Canadians are laughing their ass off.

A good hire? What in the hell are you thinking. If we wanted to make a C- hire we could have picked anybody. This goes without saying we have our own B+'s.

How much are we paying this dud?

[Way beyond disappointed]

Dear"what" - what does it matter what we are paying Sluggo ? I mean, I have more pressing matters like is he going to wear shoes coaching our country ?

We are paying our CEO 275K, a national team coach who doesn't even reside on the continent 250K, so what difference does it make what we are paying him.

When I say "we" what I really mean is what high school and college kids are paying these three guys.

I mean, really.

Rugby Canada kicks our butts again. They have kids playing pro rugby in Wales, a kiwi coach who actually lives in Canada, and all we can muster is their rejects ?

Another sad day to be an American rugger.

[DaTruth]

"Way beyond" -- I agree with you on all points. The Canadian administration are a bit more forward thinking (smarter?) than our administration. But I want to clarify one point that I misunderstood as well -- not really here nor there, but anyway....

The Canadians playing in Wales are really playing at a club level. They have a great coach, and they may be training in a professional environment (which is more than half the battle), but it's definitely not a "pro" competition.

It's still a great idea and the first step towards the ideas some have had about having an American (or Canadian) team playing in, say, the Magners League.

But the first news I heard was that they had a bunch of Canadians (10, I think?) playing pro rugby in Wales, and that's not really the case.

[Way beyond disappointed]

DaTruth - that may be the case, and Wales isn't a destination location, but my point is that Rugby Canada appear to have a plan, and are executing it...

USA Rugby talk a lot, it's CEO is vague at best when asked direct yes/no questions, and our chairman and board have done zero.

Placing 10 Americans in a club competition is Wales would at least be something ! Instead, the RSL is dying, we don't have kit for the Eagles, and the Union is broke.

[DaTruth]

As I said, I agree! They're thinking creatively, and executing on it, we're not.

i.e., "I have a great idea... why not hire a recycled Canadian coach! He's close enough to an American -- they'll never know the difference!!!"

I just wanted to clarify the whole Wales thing, as the way it was originally portrayed in the media was that they're going to play in a pro league. Even so, further example of them out-thinking us.

[Tom Schmitz]

The No-Nothing party is still alive and hating people with accents. Some fine American citizens or even long term residents with American families have been smeared here by people who think so low of themselves and their ideas as not to sign their name. Shame! Commonwealth? do you mean in terms of Mass or Rhode Island etc.

[cheese off Schmitz]

Tom, that's fine to chime in defending our American way of life, give us your tired...

Now, how about doing something on Congress other than taking up space. No really, how about serving the membership and holding the Board and their high priced CEO accountable for something, anything.

Much of this misdirected resentment towards our foreign personnel is just frustration. Mostly membership frustration caused by losing all trust in our rugby union, mainly because of the Congress being unwilling to represent the members.

Three things are true. There is far too much bitching. Two, most of the bitching is caused by frustration at the poor performance of the USAR administration. Three, Congress members are behind supporting the worst administrative performance in the history of USAR.

Thanks Tom, we will look forward to hearing from you when your next opportunity to look enlightened comes up.

[college rugby]

Nigel says that now that the senior men and youth have been addressed it is time to work on college rugby. As in it was alll part of the plan. and when i think that i see this person saying it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWILhrSzw5o

anyways, whatever on them only doing this b/c of the uscra. if it results in effective change then good. What are the odds of that? I dont know. not great but what else do we got?

[steve]

That's technically the Know Nothing Party Tom, and they haven't gone away today they are called Lou Dobbs

[DaTruth]

Tom, I think it was only the first poster who was complaining about the "foreigners" in US rugby in general.

As "Cheese" said, it's more people venting frustration. It's really all about performance, and the people who are at the top and get paid the most haven't been performing. And they happen to be "foreigners" as well. So that's where the frustration and the general perception of xenophobia comes from.

Anyone who's been involved in the game in the US knows that we owe an incredible debt to the emigres who have played an crucial role in the US game since the game was first played here. And most of those contributors are citizens, it's just that they weren't born here. The short-timers who parachute in don't usually add much to the community.

I, for one, was excited, when their appointments were announced, about the potential and professionalism that Melville and Roberts would bring to a largely amateur organization. They both had strong track records in the professional rugby arena, so you'd think that they would carry that success over to here. Perhaps they underestimated the challenge, perhaps their records weren't as strong as they appeared to be (I mean, my 6-yr.-old son could get a sponsorship deal for the All Blacks!). I guess the lesson is, don't hire people who only have professional top-level experience -- hire people who have experience growing the game.

The fact is, they've underperformed, and nobody (i.e., the Congress) has held them accountable. They've had a hard time breaking with the "Commonwealth" way of thinking, and adapt to the landscape here. They haven't really thought creatively, and it shows in their performance.

[Andrew Jackson]

Foreigner: a person not native to or naturalized in the country or jurisdiction under consideration; alien.

Carpet Bagger: any opportunistic or exploitive outsider.

I have very much enjoyed my association with one but have no use for the other.

[Got a Dud]

From a web page up in Canada - did we really get a dud?
Women's 7s News
"O Say Can You See…" : Former Canadian Coach Ric Suggitt Signs with USA Women's 7s Program

from BCRN 7s Correspondent
posted Jan 11 2010

There was breaking news from Boulder, Colorado today with the announcement that former Canadian coach Ric Suggitt has been appointed the national team coach for the USA Women’s Sevens Team.

Details about the signing of the man from the Saskatchewan River country are appropriately in short supply - however it is known that the former Canada coach will travel to Boulder at the end of this month to discuss details about his new team – its budget and the development strategy as they begin preparations for the Olympics in Brazil.

Meanwhile back home - our national sevens team still does not have a coach, a plan or a budget by all accounts.

Worse – we have lost another world class coach with more experience and more legitimate accomplishments on his resume than there are miles across our great land.

It should be no secret to anyone that our former coach fought off continual interference and ongoing frustration from the union brass in Richmond Hill.

In fact qualifications and experience seemed to mean little when it came time for the re-appointment process – they didn’t like him and that was the end of the story – period.

Once again our record in the ‘fair treatment’ category for coaches and for our volunteers is dismal on a good day as we continue to be riddled with in-fighting, sub-plots and conspiracies against each other to the point of dysfunction.

We grind those we dislike into submission so that they step away from the game never to return - and worse – they never have a good thing to say about the administration or the governance again – and some of us normal folks need a full-time shrink just to say something positive going forward!

It is all completely counter productive and the fact that our players do as well as they do on the field is a credit to them - and to their coaches, managers and medical personnel.

Several years ago our entire union was run by two individuals – the very competent Liz Ferguson and equally competent Keith Wilkinson.

Now we have eight people listed on the office map in Toronto and another sevens listed next to the brewery in Victoria – small wonder our elite teams have no on-field budget!

(In fairness - at least half the crew in Victoria do work directly on the rugby field)

However - the process set up to enquire about where and how our monies are being used for the elite teams is a joke - and one can hear the laughter from the lookout in St. John’s harbor all the way to Port Renfrew’s rocky shores.

More disturbing too is the rumor that the present group of individuals who have governance over this mess want to change the union by-laws which would allow them to stay in office longer – thus putting a strangle hold on their present power position.

Further – this past week a nationwide conference-call (about insurance) involving 40 + stakeholders was like listening to the “Thoughts of Chairman Mao” as the insurance tycoons attempted to infiltrate the membership minds about the “real deal” we were getting despite the rising price of the insurance to the rugby masses.

And let’s be clear here – for insurance companies one claim is bad business – that’s why they dominate the multi-national success landscape in Forbes!

There is word from some quarters that Quebec has already withdrawn from the insurance scheme – some universities who were being double billed (since all varsity teams are insured by their respective schools already) were on the verge of pulling out and there were more serious questions left unanswered by the end of the conference pow-wow.

Maybe it’s time for a new catch-phrase – instead of “pay-to-play” maybe we should adopt a “play-at-your-peril” call sign and get out of this money grab which seems to go more towards salaries than safety-nets for our players.

The point of all this rambling is to draw attention to the fact that we have lost another resource – an elite coach and a intense patriot - and that should be unacceptable to all of us who wear the Maple Leaf - particularly so when the women’s job in this country lies vacant.

We are being mismanaged by those individuals in-charge and we don’t have access to insist upon any change.

The loss of Ric Suggitt to the American Sevens Team is a significant one in this country.

In 1999 Suggitt took Canada to the Fiji Sevens (team listed below) and thus began an international career which has lasted over eleven years in the short game. No one, even within the elite iRB Sevens circuit, has such an extensive resume of accomplishment.

Fiji Sevens 1999
TEAM
John Graf (Capt.), Jordi Cook, Simon Pacey, Mike Armstrong, Darrel Underwood, Jason Verstraten, Andrew Hoffman, Winston Stanley, Fred Asselin, Nick Milau.
Coach: Rick Suggitt

He has landed on every continent the planet has to offer and coached in nearly every major rugby city world-wide.

Experience like that cannot be replaced nor can the skills this man brought to the athletes under his tutelage – the Americans have scored a major coup by signing him today and it will most certainly come back to haunt us.

[Skinner]

I think we have just seen Eddie's replacement show up...or Al's

[etasretbas]

Teest, just a test. Hello and bay
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