The Fijian Drua has appointed Chris Gibbes as the new forward coach for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua Men.
Gibbes who has links to Fiji and is well-known for his coaching roles with the Hurricanes, Wellington and Waikato will take charge of preparing the Drua forwards in the upcoming seasons of Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific. He was also Japan’s forwards coach at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Gibbes who was most recently Senior Assistant Coach at the Hurricanes between 2019 to 2023, takes over from Greg Fleming, who has assumed the Defense Coach duties at the Club.
Commenting on his appointment, Gibbes said “Having the opportunity to join this Club is incredibly exciting and I’m determined to add value to the strong foundation that has been built so far. The Drua have a very exciting playing roster, a quality backroom staff and a highly motivated coaching team that I’m looking forward to being a part of. The connection to Fiji is important to me and my family, my grandmother was from Rotuma and my Father was born in Suva, so I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and thrilled to grow this connection. I can’t wait to get started.”
A tough second rower in his playing days, Gibbes played 44 games for Hawkes Bay, Waikato, Thames Valley and NZ Colts between 1994 and 2002.
Fijian Drua CEO, Mark Evans said “Chris has a tremendous record in New Zealand as well as other rugby markets. He is the perfect mentor for our forwards as we push to make an even bigger impact in Super Rugby Pacific. Chris’ focus on instilling dominance in the pack complements our incoming Head Coach Glen Jackson’s plans well for the upcoming season. Additionally, he will be yet another coach at the Drua with previous Head Coach experience, which will be invaluable for our young playing group.”
