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Tyler Bleyendaal, a former Crusaders and No. 10 from Canterbury, played for Ireland before retiring due to a neck injury. He will soon begin working for the Hurricanes as an assistant coach.
The Hurricanes have beefed up their coaching lineup with former Crusaders and Munster first five eighths Tyler Bleyendaal.
The 30-year-old played 21 games for the Crusaders, 32 for Canterbury and 62 for Irish club Munster between 2011 and 2020 before a serious neck injury forced him to retire from rugby.
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The Welsh referee became one of the most loved and respected officials for his work on and off the field.
A school rugby star who attended Christchurch Boys’ High School, Bleyendaal left New Zealand in 2014 to play in Ireland.
He said in a statement released by the Hurricanes that he wanted to develop talent in the Hurricanes squad.
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Former All Blacks No. 10 Carlos Spencer was previously on the Hurricanes’ coaching roster, but suddenly left near the end of the Super Rugby Aotearoa season, leaving head coach Jason Holland without an assistant coach. experimented with several rounds to play.
Holland had previously played for Munster before returning to New Zealand to help Scott Robertson at Canterbury, before moving north to help Chris Boyd when he was managing the Hurricanes.
Bleyendaal said being closer to family was an “obvious benefit of moving home.”
“We are excited that our children will be able to connect with our families more often and it will be a great help to my wife and me as we settle in after the big move,” he said.
Bleyendaal said the coach has always been interested in training and after retiring he sought the advice of his contacts.
“It was a good way to gather some knowledge and have discussions about rugby and training at a time when I couldn’t be on the field physically training,” he said.
“A few months later, Dutchy [Jason Holland] I got in touch and asked him about my situation, what my plan was and if I would like to express my interest in the role in the hurricanes, to which I immediately said ‘yes’.
“His connection to Munster probably gave him the opportunity to chat with his contacts and get honest feedback about me as a person and my potential as a coach.”
Holland said that Bleyendaal’s experience in Super Rugby and in the Northern Hemisphere appealed to him as an assistant coach.
“He has a canny brain for rugby and will challenge our coaching staff and players to grow and innovate,” said Holland.
Bleyendaal said he was impressed with Super Rugby Aotearoa when he watched it from his home in Limerick.
“You see the relentless week after week battles that were taking place,” he said. “High pressure games with small margins. It was a great competition to develop both established players and young talents in New Zealand rugby. ”