Jono Gibbes replaces Clayton McMillan as Chiefs head coach
Gibbes, who was forwards coach with Leinster when the province won their first three European Cups, has been at the Super Rugby club for two years as an assistant coach.
'Being part of the organisation for the past two years has given me a real appreciation for what's been built here and how this team has grown into a consistent, competitive unit,' says Gibbes.
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'My job now is to help maintain that consistency and keep pushing to unlock the full potential of this team. We have a strong foundation and a lot of talent, so I'm excited about what we can achieve.'
Gibbes captained both Waikato and the Chiefs as a player and gained eight caps for the All Blacks.
After retiring from playing in 2008, Gibbes transitioned into coaching, taking on roles with clubs including Leinster, Clermont Auvergne, La Rochelle, and Ulster.
In 2018 he left Ulster and returned to New Zealand for family reasons and led Waikato to a National Provincial Championship title as head coach, before being appointed to lead the New Zealand U20s in 2023.
He returned to the Chiefs ahead of the 2024 season as an assistant coach.
Former Chiefs head coach McMillan, who is now Munster head coach, said: 'Jono brings a wealth of experience, leadership, and a strong connection to the region.
'The coaching, management and playing group has a lot of continuity and cohesion, which is a strong foundation to build from.'
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The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'I probably won't play for the Lions again. I want this to be a good memory'
EVEN THOUGH HE jokes that he'd prefer if Tadhg Furlong wasn't starting for the Lions tomorrow, Joe Schmidt has as much respect for the Wexford man's achievement as anyone else. Starting nine Lions Tests in a row in a magnificent feat, all the more so in a position as demanding as tighthead prop. At the age of 32, Tadhg Furlong is already a great of Irish rugby, even if being a prop means he won't be as regularly mentioned as others in those kinds of discussions. And the Leinster man's status as a Lions legend is now well beyond debate. 'He's such a gifted player and such a good character,' said Wallabies boss Schmidt, who was the Leinster head coach when Furlong joined the province. 'The first time I met him, he came in with his Mum and Dad with Collie McEntee, who was coaching the Leinster academy. I was coaching there, and he got brought into the office and introduced himself. He blocked the sun briefly, and those shoulders haven't got any smaller since. 'He's certainly an impressive young man and a world-class player, so if he wants a day off on Saturday I'd be happy to see that.' Schmidt remembers tough times for Furlong at the start, initially due to injuries and then the kind of teething problems that any young prop faces in professional rugby. Ireland's tour of South Africa in 2016 was 'a baptism of fire' for Furlong at scrum time, recalled Schmidt, but he soon began to thrive and by 2017, he was the Lions' first-choice tighthead. Furlong and Schmidt with Ireland in 2017. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Schmidt gave Furlong his Ireland debut in 2015 and benefited massively from the Wexford man's 'multi-purpose' ability in the years that followed. 'I'll never forget the deft little offload he gave to Bundee Aki to go through a gap to give CJ Stander a try at Twickenham [in 2018],' said Schmidt. 'Those skills he has with the ball, his ability to carry himself, and he's very good, quite dynamic in the defensive line. 'We were here [in Australia] on tour in 2018 and I remember David Pocock was just about to decide to get over the ball and Tadhg Furlong put him back a couple of metres from the ball. Advertisement 'He's a pretty well-rounded, literally well-rounded, character.' Furlong himself would probably laugh at that last tongue-in-cheek comment from Schmidt. He has always come across as someone with an endearing, self-depracating humour. Not that he's not entirely serious about his craft. Furlong's work ethic and resilience have helped him to get to this point of a huge achievement with the Lions. He is a smart rugby player, someone whose role in the Ireland and Lions leadership groups isn't about shouting and roaring, but more about providing calm messages and contributing to discussions around how the team should play. Not all tighthead props are as tactically aware as Furlong. Even the way he describes how he has had to change with the game across three Lions tours illustrates that. 'Rugby was so different back then,' said Furlong of his first tour in 2017. 'You're around the corner, you're just working hard and then the game kind of got into one-out carriers and I found my mould there. Furlong celebrates the Lions' second Test win. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'Then the game changed to more of a pass and options at the line and it kind of changed my game. 'And it's changed in a way to a hybrid of all of them at the minute, I feel. So, you try to change your game as the game changes.' Many people doubted that Furlong would get to this point where he has started all three of the Tests on this tour. That was down to the recurring hamstring and calf issues he had all season, meaning he only played once for Ireland and eight times for Leinster. But Furlong always had faith he would be right for the Lions tour. 'It wasn't a big enough injury to warrant it,' said Furlong. 'It was like, we need to get back and play here, lads, because it's on your calendar. You want it so badly. I think the cruel thing is when you go on one, you just want to go on more. You go on that first one, and you take it all in. 'The second one is kind of like you want to perform and the third one, you just want to appreciate it all because you don't want it to pass you by, you know that kind of way? 'There was a stage this season where we were having conversations with medical staff. It's like, 'What is going on here? We need to nip this stuff in the bud.' They managed to do that, and Furlong has thrived. Lions boss Andy Farrell had faith that the experienced tighthead would deliver on the big occasions. Furlong at the Lions captain's run today. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO Furlong has been rooming with Ireland and Leinster team-mate Thomas Clarkson this week as the latter continues to gain valuable experience while remaining on tour with Farrell's men. There's no one better for Clarkson to be learning from. Furlong is still only 32 and he'll hope that this tour is only the start of a period of better luck on the injury front. But he senses that tomorrow's Test will be his final one for the Lions. 'I'm not going to say I won't, I probably won't… I probably won't play for the Lions again. 'It's been very good to me. It's been very good to my career. You want to play well in it. 'I'm kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind us. Without being clinical about it, you want to give the best version of yourself to it. 'Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one.'
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
Ryan's venom gets him the nod for first Lions Test start
MANY PEOPLE WHO were involved in the 2023 Champions Cup final believe that the result would have been different if James Ryan hadn't been forced off injured after 29 minutes. Leinster had started like a runaway train, racing into an early lead as second row Ryan set an intensely physical tone. Ryan was on a mission to shut down Will Skelton and he landed some telling blows. Leinster were leading 17-7 when Ryan got an accidental knee to the head and had to go off. That's where the tide truly began to turn in La Rochelle's favour and they eventually broke Leinster's hearts. It's never about just one player but Ryan's sheer physicality was badly missed by Leinster. That's the kind of impact Ryan can have on big games. We saw it again last weekend as the Irishman was sprung from the Lions' bench with 25 minutes left and helped to shift the physicality up a few notches. His back-to-back tackles on Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson were big moments in swinging the game in the Lions' favour. First, Ryan dipped to smash Wilson along with Jack Conan as the Wallabies ran a play on second phase from a right-hand side lineout. Advertisement And just two phases later, Ryan chopped in low on Wilson, this time with Rónan Kelleher. Kelleher followed in to finish the job after Ryan's initial dominant tackle, with both Lions players then popping back up to their feet to barge, meaning further pressure for the Wallabies. The result was that Wallabies scrum-half Jake Gordon passed the ball forward on the next phase. Ryan will be looking to bring this kind of physicality from the off in Saturday's third Test against the Wallabies, having been promoted into the starting XV in place of Ollie Chessum. Joe McCarthy, who started the first Test but missed the second with a foot injury, didn't train on Wednesday so that played into Ryan's favour but this is a deserved selection. Farrell knows better than anyone that Ryan has been playing excellent rugby for several years now. His best work can go under the radar, but the edge Ryan brings often allows Leinster and Ireland to play their best stuff. He seems to have thrived with a more refined role in the last couple of seasons, a seek-and-destroy role that is more like the one he filled when first breaking through with Joe Schmidt's Ireland in 2018. Ryan does still offer subtlety and experience in the lineout and other areas, as well as leadership, but Farrell likes how the Dublin native has honed in on his superstrength. 'He's seen his niche in his game and he's not trying to be somebody else,' said Farrell. Ryan celebrates the Lions' second Test win. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'He does all the unseen work, all the graft stuff and has done it with a bit of venom in his game. 'He hasn't tried to be a ball–playing forward like some of the second rows have been, but he hits hard defensively and hits rucks really well, so we all need a bit of that.' Ryan wasn't selected for the 2021 Lions tour when Warren Gatland was in charge, with Gatland saying the Irish lock was 'unavailable for personal reasons,' something that didn't tally with Ryan subsequently speaking about his disappointment at not being picked. Whatever happened in that case, Ryan always had a strong chance of being involved in Farrell's squad this time around, given how big an impact he has had in a green jersey. Ryan has been used off the bench at times, with McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne starting, but he invariably makes an impact. Ryan largely went under the radar as a Test candidate and then his selection on the bench last week raised some eyebrows outside of Ireland. But Ryan proved the doubters wrong and now he gets his Lions Test start.
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
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'Impressive young man' Tadhg Furlong takes his place in Lions pantheon
Across three British and Irish Lions tours in three different countries, Tadhg Furlong has seen it all through three different perspectives. In New Zealand in 2017 he was 24 and the next big thing. Four years ago in South Africa he was 28 and in his prime. Now, aged 32 in Australia, he's one of the old heads in the group. This could be his last stand on tour. "You go on that first one and you take it all in," Furlong says, as he prepares for his ninth start from a possible nine Lions Tests. "The second one is kind of like, you want to perform, and the third one you just want to appreciate it all because you don't want it to pass you by." As a three-time tourist, and set to start his ninth consecutive Test across that period, he's firmly established himself among the list of British and Irish Lions greats. Only eight people have played more Tests for the Lions in its 137-year history, and only one of those – Alun-Wyn Jones - has done so in the professional era. Willie John McBride, Mike Gibson and Tony O'Reilly are the only Irish players to have ever won more Lions Test caps. Joining that list of Lions elite was far from Furlong's mind throughout this season, one in which persistent calf and achilles injuries limited him to just seven games for Leinster across the campaign, and just one for Ireland. As he struggled to shake off those injuries, just making it on tour was the big goal. "You want it so badly. I think the cruel thing is when you go on one [Lions tour], you just want to go on more," he said. "There was a stage this season where we were having conversations with medical staff. It's like, 'what is going on here? We need to nip this stuff in the bud'. "Lions Tours are some of the best days of your career and I'm delighted to be able to go again. "I just wanted to try to get on tour and play rugby and see where it got me, but it's class, yeah. To be up there [with nine Test caps]. "I remember I got selected [in 2017], or people were speculating when I was going on the first Lions Tour. "I was young, and you think of Lions, and you think of the players and you don't see yourself there to be mentioned in the same breath as them and I probably feel the same way now." He was still relatively inexperienced when he made his Lions debut back in 2017 (above). Just two years on from his Ireland debut ahead of the Rugby World Cup in 2015, he had just 16 Ireland caps to his name, and had only taken over as Ireland's first choice tighthead from Mike Ross in the season leading up to the New Zealand tour. With England having won consecutive Six Nations titles inn 2016 and 2017, Warren Gatland would have been expected to lead with one of the English tightheads, Dan Cole or Kyle Sickler, for the Test series, only for Furlong to claim the starting jersey for that first Test against the All Blacks in Eden Park, and he's kept it ever since. He said: "I was probably young and making my way through it all and learning it all. Gats kind of backed me really. He backed Mako [Vunipola], myself and Jamie George through each of the Saturdays. "I felt pressure by it, in a rugby country like New Zealand, there was pressure. I felt pressure. I probably didn't enjoy it socially as much as I should have, looking back. "I think it's all part of the journey. Whereas this one, it's a great group of lads. I suppose I'm very familiar with the coaches. You feel more at ease. "Obviously, I've gone on two [more] and been around rugby a lot more. You feel more at ease. You feel more belonging straight from the start." Long before he become a Lion, current Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt knew he was a special talent. He first encountered the Wexford man when he was coaching Leinster, and recalls being introduced to the future Ireland international by the province's former academy coach Collie McEntee. "He got brought into the office and introduced himself. He blocked the sun, briefly, and those shoulders haven't got any smaller since," Schmidt said this week. And the Wallabies coach believes Furlong has been rewarded for his persistence and ability to adapt to an ever changing game. "The first time he played a couple of Tests for us in Ireland, he found it tough as young props often do. "The first thing you realise is that this kid is resilient, he got knocked back a couple of times early on, particularly at the scrum. "South Africa [2016] was a baptism of fire. Since then, he's grown into a player who is multi-purpose. "Those skills he has with the ball, his ability to carry himself and he's very good, quite dynamic in the defensive line. "We were here [in Australia], on tour in 2018 and I remember David Pocock was just about to decide to get over the ball and Tadhg Furlong put him back a couple of metres from the ball. "He's certainly an impressive young man and a world class player, so if he wants a day off on Saturday I'd be happy to see that." Furlong has seen it all in his three tours, getting a taste of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, and he's also experienced every outcome, drawing a series, losing a series, and now, finally, winning one. "It's probably one of the more satisfying achievements that I've been a part of," he added. "It's up there. It's up there. It's such a hard thing to do, and history tells you that. "When you play for the Lions, you understand why, in terms of moulding everyone together and trying to get them on the same track, and the schedule and travel. It's right up there. "I've heard a lot of people explain Lions tours. "I probably haven't found an explanation in a verbal form that matches how you feel about it as a player. It's a special thing. It really is. From all aspects. "You spend your professional rugby life around a lot of the same people. To get to know people from other countries, there's different stories, there's different craic. "There's different ways of slagging, nicknames, all that craic. Playing cards, out and about, dinner, socials. Off the pitch, that's great." He rolls his eyes and laughs when it's suggested that he could defy even his own plans and add to his Lions caps haul in New Zealand in four years at the age of 36. "Just about to turn 37. Could you imagine?" he gasps. And while he wouldn't rule anything out, he's planning to take in every second of Saturday at Accor Stadium. "You're still playing for the Lions. It's not hard to motivate yourself. My motivation is obvious," he said. "I'm not going to say I won't, but I probably won't play for the Lions again. It's been very good to me. It's been very good to my career. You want to play well in it. "I'm kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind us. Without being clinical about it. You want to give the best version of yourself to it. "Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one."
