Wednesday 5 July 2023
Sport
25
From high-performance player to coach JACK MALCOLM Dan Perrin is still riding the Crusaders high after being an integral part of the Super Rugby championship-winning side. Having arrived back in town last week ahead of taking charge of the Mako as cocoach for another season, the Mad Butcher Stoke owner says he’s already looking forward to re-entering the “vortex” of high-performance sport. “It was an awesome drive (home) yesterday. I stopped at Maruia to get a coffee and reflect on the last six months. “Being in that coaches box was unreal. The emotions from the highs and lows of that game. I’ve been in the environment for four-or-five years, but for the forward pack to be mine, that exceeded expectations, it’s always been a dream.” Having followed a grassroots pathway into coaching after his playing career, he says it’s rewarding to see the fruits of his labour.
“I started here with Wanderers second grade team ... but I kept chipping away at my trade. Everyone has aspirations and goals and for a young coach, I want to be a great coach. I want to leave a legacy through loyalty and hard work.” Dan says to be able to coach under future All Blacks coach Scott Robinson, who many call Razor, was a blessing. “Razor ties it all together ... his first words to me was ‘the forward pack is all yours, I trust you’. That gave me the confidence and belief, I got to back myself. I 100 per cent definitely felt the pressure. But that pressure is a privilege that comes with the job title.” As a hooker by trade, Dan was predictably proud of the way the Crusaders’ maul worked this season, leading the league in tries while not conceding any themselves. Having spent his time as a player for both the Crusaders and Mako, Dan says it’s exciting to now be leading the teams in the coaches box. He says, during his last game
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review as a player, Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said he’d make a good coach and it snowballed from there. With an established pathway for both coaches and players between the Mako and Crusader outfits, it was a natural fit to give back to the teams who have given him so much. “Tasman was the first region to give me an opportunity as a player and to give back is special. “The Crusaders Academy does a phenomenal job setting these players up to succeed. There’s some unbelievable talent in this region.” The next generation of schoolboy players who are set to earn their stripes and progress into the professional game is always rewarding to see, he says. As for the upcoming Mako season, he’s excited to have another crack for the title with the team again, saying he’s already picked up some “wee nuances of the tactical aspects” from his time at the Crusaders, which he wants to implement.
Dan Perrin’s success with coaching the Mako in recent seasons saw him given the task of leading the Crusaders forward pack this year. Photo (file): Gavin Hadfield/Shuttersport.
NMIT | Te Pūkenga student aims to embed Māori kaupapa in business Gillan Harris (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Manuhiri) says the Bachelor of Commerce at NMIT Te Pūkenga has opened up several options for him. Originally from Christchurch, the 25-year-old has been in Nelson for a few years and is due to complete his degree this year. After graduating, Gillan will head overseas to Colombia as a part of Te Hononga-ā-Kiwa, a programme that aims to increase business connections between Māori and other indigenous communities across Asia-Pacific. He has been working with them for the past two years. “Because of COVID-19 restrictions, I have been unable to travel anywhere, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” he says. “I am Māori-Phillipino and will also surprise some family in the Phillipines as a graduation present to myself.” Gillan was the recipient of the Nelson Pines Scholarship and the Johnston Association Scholarship this year, reducing his course-related costs by $6000. “I have made plenty of good friends here,” he says. “It is easy to engage in the classroom because of the smaller numbers. You can have some proper discussions and the tutors have a lot of industry experience for context.”
As part of graduating with his Bachelor of Commerce, Gillan needs to complete a research project. He is looking into how entrepreneurs in Aotearoa incorporate Māori kaupapa in their businesses. Once he returns to New Zealand, Gillan is considering postgraduate study in International Business up north, where he can be better involved with his iwi. “I am on a journey of reconnecting with my roots.”Enrolments are currently open for the Bachelor of Commerce programme, beginning 17 July. Apply now: nmit.ac.nz /business Business Update. Adv.