Rugby officials want foreign coach

Training camp for Asian event to start early.

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) is in talks with the International Rugby Board (IRB) to acquire the services of a foreign coach in order to prepare the team for the Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament that will take place in Indonesia in June.

The Pakistan team – ranked among the third division teams – will take on Guam in the semi-final to compete for a place in division two. In order to progress on the Asian level, the PRU has already begun a training camp with 70 participants from across the country.

“A5N is the most important international tournament for Pakistan,” PRU selector Khurram Haroon told The Express Tribune. “In order to improve our standings, we’ve asked the IRB to assign a foreign coach to prepare the team for A5N.”

According to Haroon, the PRU has been trying to get a foreign coach but many of them have refused to come due to security concerns. Haroon added that early preparations for the event will help identify the best available players out of which the PRU will shortlist 35 players by the end of next month and announce the final 24 in May.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2011.