TORONTO — Two weeks after agreeing to a two-year contract extension, Kieran Crowley has resigned as coach of the Canadian men’s rugby team.
Citing ongoing negotiations, Crowley would only say he was quitting to take over an Italian club team. Two sources said the former All Black is headed to Benetton Treviso, which currently sits last in the Guinness Pro 12 league with an 0-11-0 record.
"It was a decision that I thought long and hard about," Crowley said Wednesday. "I just think the timing is right."
That seems at odds with the recent Canada contract extension. But Rugby Canada’s offer was essentially a limited vote of confidence. And after almost eight years on the job, the 54-year-old Crowley has done more than his share of heavy lifting with the national team.
Crowley, who played briefly in Italy in the ’80s, will take up his new club duties June 1 at the end of the Pro 12 season. He offered to stay on in the interim but Rugby Canada elected to make the split immediate. Women’s coach Francois Ratier will serve as interim men’s coach at next month’s Americas Rugby Championship.
In the wake of last fall’s Rugby World Cup, Crowley turned down one outside job offer. But he listened to the Italian proposal, eventually accepting a formal offer submitted after the Canadian extension.
Rugby Canada was caught by surprise when he informed them of his decision Tuesday. Still they were appreciative of his efforts.
"I would say Kieran has worked very very hard," said Gareth Rees, a former Canadian captain who is now manager of Rugby Canada’s men’s program. "He inherited a program that was in turmoil.
"He brought a lot of integrity to the program. That was very important. That was very important to me. That’s one of the reasons I’m back working at Rugby Canada, because of the values he espoused. Which are to me very Canadian, although he’s a Kiwi."
Crowley’s passion was evident during Canada’s games. While cool as a cucumber before and after in his dealings with the media, his blood pressure would spike with each careless turnover or mistake.
Crowley helped provide a solid professional platform for the national team, while doubling as assistant coach for the sevens squad. And because of his international ties, he helped players find jobs overseas.
Still, on the surface, the numbers on Crowley’s tenure aren’t flattering.
Canada was ranked 15th in the world when he took over. He leaves with Canada in 19th spot.
Crowley’s record at Canada’s helm was 27-43-1, including 24-32-1 in test matches. At the Rugby World Cup, the Canadian men were 1-6-1 in two trips under the New Zealander.
Despite that, Canada has made strides. Other countries have simply progressed further.
"We have to be honest to say that compared to some of the coaches he’s coaching against, there’s a lot of challenges in Canada," said Rees.
Geography, the lack of a pro league, having to share a thin talent pool between the sevens and fifteens game, and rugby’s relatively low spot on the North American sports totem pole have combined to make boosting Canadian rugby a Herculean task.
Consider that 37-year-old forward Jamie Cudmore, perhaps Canada’s highest-profile pro, has just 39 test caps. To his credit, 14 of those have come at the Rugby World Cup. But injuries, suspensions and club commitments in France have kept Cudmore from playing internationally more often.
Crowley says Canadian rugby is on the same page these days. "I think we’ve made massive strides," said Crowley.
But challenges remain. The U.S. is ahead of Canada in forming a pro league. And Canada is struggling with the sevens versus fifteens divide, which Rugby Canada has now formalized.
Crowley’s two-year contract extension came on the recommendation of Rugby Canada’s World Cup review committee. The offer was accompanied by some stipulated changes to the national program, many of which Crowley considered either obvious or already in the works.
That, plus a short-term contract offer that came with no guarantee he would lead the team into the 2019 World Cup if he secured qualification, was enough to make him look favourably at the Italian proposal.
Rugby Canada says it has begun a "global search" for a permanent head coach. It is also looking for a CEO to succeed Graham Brown, who stepped down after the World Cup to run Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
Crowley may be leaving Canada but the country will always be part of his family. His three kids are all Canadian citizens and the only reason Crowley doesn’t have dual citizenship is because he has spent so much time out of the country on rugby duty.