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Dragons interim head coach Filo Tiatia will be in charge at Rodney Parade until the end of the season, it has been confirmed.
The former All Blacks star – who became a cult hero at the Ospreys as a player – returned to Wales in the summer as the Men of Gwent’s new defence coach. However, he was promoted from that role last month after head coach Dai Flanagan departed following a frustrating start to the URC season.
Tiatia – who oversaw his first victory as interim boss when his side beat Newcastle in the Challenge Cup on Sunday – has kept his cards close to his chest when asked if he wants the top job permanently, insisting that he is simply focused on the short term.
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However, it was confirmed on Wednesday that he will be in charge for a while longer, with Dragons chief Rhys Blumberg adding that the 53-year-old is “100 per cent interested” in being made permanent head coach.
His future at the region beyond the end of the season is set to be decided during the Six Nations break, with Tiatia tasked with proving his credentials in derbies against Cardiff and the Scarlets, as well as Challenge Cup fixtures against Pau and the Lions and a URC clash with Munster
“Filo will be in position as head coach until the end of the season and we will be making a decision on his future after this block of games,” Blumberg told the South Wales Argus. “We host Munster on January 25 and there will be a board meeting the following week whereby a decision will be made.
“We plan to hold a Q&A with fans the week after that featuring me and chairman David Wright, by which time we will have already announced what our plans are. It will either be that Filo is in position as head coach for the next two years or that he is returning to being defence coach, with X as head coach after we have made an offer and had it agreed.”
The chief executive added: “The intention is to try and keep Filo in post and make sure it works out for him, he is capable and doing a good job. There are two variables, one is that he doesn’t want the job at the end of this block and we have to make sure we are not left short, and the second is monitoring how he gets on as head coach for this period.
“We are not actively out there hunting for a replacement but in the same breath we need to manage the process to ensure we are not left short if he does decide that he doesn’t want it. Both parties are working well together and it’s been a good start. We are keen to make things work for Filo.”
On Flanagan’s sudden exit, Blumberg said that the former head coach “wanted a decision on his future” and had “applied a bit of pressure around what would happen for him.”
“That almost made it a decision that had to be made quickly rather than wait for a bit longer and review things,” he added. “The decision was also based on the fact that we didn’t win enough games in the first block. There was definitely an improvement in performances with certain things going in the right direction but the board wasn’t content with the amount of wins.”