The American Raptors are excited to announce that former New Zealand All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar will spend this week in Glendale to assist with coaching and player development.
Mooar is a lawyer turned rugby coach and has mounted an impressive resume over the last decade. Before his stint as an assistant with the All Blacks, Mooar spent a year as an assistant coach with the former Super Rugby side the Southern Kings, a year as the head coach of the Southland Stags, three years as an assistant coach with Super Rugby’s Crusaders, and one year as the head coach of Scarlets in Wales.
Mooar spent Sunday, October 30 giving a presentation to local high school and college coaches, and will serve as a fresh set of eyes on the American Raptors operation as he assists in the upskilling of both players and coaches for the remainder of the week. His experience as a world-class coach will be invaluable as the club continues to search for ways to improve on and off the pitch.
“We want continuous improvement from both our staff and our players through educational opportunities,” American Raptors Director of Rugby Mark Bullock said. “We are looking forward to learning from Brad this week.”
Mooar comes to the Raptors as a part of a budding relationship with the Canterbury Crusaders, which has developed with the help of Seattle Rugby Club president Kevin Flynn. Backs and attack coach Mose Timoteo is also currently enrolled in a high-performance coaching program with the Crusaders.
“We are pleased to develop a synergy with the Canterbury Crusaders to further assist in the development of high-performance coaches and players as a part of our ongoing effort to recruit crossover athletes into a rugby environment,” Bullock said. “This relationship will further assist in upskilling athletes new to the game of rugby and continue the development of those athletes who have been with us from the beginning of the program.”
Along with Mooar, former USA Men’s 7s player Garrett Bender will also be assisting with trainings this week. Additionally, interim head coach Sarah Chobot has been working closely with experienced New Zealand specialist rugby coaches Dan Cron and Jamie MacIntosh through regular remote sessions to continue to grow and develop as a coach herself.
After Mooar’s departure on November 3, the Raptors will close the week by hosting St. Mary’s College of California on Saturday at 1 PM in the stadium at Infinity Park. Gates open at 10 AM, as the Denver Waterdogs and St. Mary’s B will kick off a day full of rugby at 11 AM.
