2 Jun 2014

Boyd and Plumtree to coach Hurricanes

6:59 am on 2 June 2014

Wellington's Chris Boyd and Taranaki's John Plumtree will reunite as Super Rugby coaches in 2015 - this time on home soil.

The pair, who coached the Durban-based Sharks together in 2009 and 2010, have been announced as the new coaching duo to lead the Hurricanes after signing two year contracts with the franchise.

Current Wellington Lions coach, Boyd, will take up the head coach role, with Plumtree as his assistant.

Boyd says he's looking forward to the challenges that would come with his new appointment, both on and off the field.

For Plumtree, the move back to Wellington means stepping away from his current international role as Ireland's forwards coach.

The 48-year-old says despite a number of years away from New Zealand, the passion he still held for the team that represents his home region contributed to his return.

The Hurricanes chief executive James Te Puni says the franchise's focus had been on securing coaches with strong experience at a provincial, super, and international level, which he was excited to have achieved.

The new set-up means current Hurricanes assistant coach former All Black Alama Ieremia is out of a job.

Both Boyd and Plumtree have signed two year contracts with the Hurricanes.