The Fijian Drua have roped in former Melbourne Rebels Senior Assistant Coach Tim Sampson to the coaching staff of the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua Men.
He joins as an attack coach for the upcoming Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific competition seasons.
Sampson who has admired the Drua since they made their foray into the competition in the National Rugby Championship in 2017 said he was excited about the opportunity:
“Working under Mark, Baden, Glen and fellow support staff was what attracted me to the role along with coaching a group of extremely talented athletes.”
Fijian Drua CEO Mark Evans said “We are delighted to welcome Tim aboard the Drua as our new Attack Coach after a thorough recruitment process. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a fresh perspective that we believe will enhance our attack. His experience as an Assistant Head Coach in his previous role will offer tremendous support to our incoming Head Coach Glen Jackson and the Drua high-performance staff.”
Sampson was most recently the Senior Assistant Coach at the Melbourne Rebels who made it to the 2024 quarterfinals for the first time in history. He was previously the Head Coach at the Western Force between 2018 to 2022 with overall responsibility for the entire coaching approach of the Club. Sampson has coaching experience at both premiership and Super Rugby Pacific levels following his prominent playing career where he was awarded Queensland Premier Rugby Player of the Year 2005.
Sampson was also involved in player development as an Assistant Coach for the Junior Wallabies. He has been the Head Coach for Canberra Vikings in the NRC (2017) and Eastern Districts Rugby Club (2015). Sampson was also the Interim Backs/Skills Coach of the ACT Brumbies in 2016
