Marty Bourke announced as Assistant Coach of New Zealand Under 20’s

Canterbury NPC Head Coach Marty Bourke has been appoined as an Assistant Coach for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa.

Bourke will join Head Coach Clark Laidlaw (All Blacks Sevens Head Coach) and fellow Assistant Wesley Clarke (Black Ferns Assistant Coach) for the tournament in June and July.

It provides an excellent opportunity for Bourke to continue in his coaching progression following a finals charge in last year’s NPC.

“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to coach the New Zealand Under 20’s team in what will be an exciting 2023.” said Bourke.

“Being able to represent Canterbury and follow the footsteps of the likes of Scotty Hansen, Jase Ryan and Scott Robertson is a real honour, I am looking forward to playing my part in developing tomorrows talent which is one of the main reasons that I love to coach.”

“Equally I am 100% focused on our Canterbury team growing from last year along with the opportunity to lead a fantastic group of passionate people.”

New Zealand Rugby High Performance Player Development Manager, Glenmark’s Matt Sexton, said “Wesley and Marty have been instrumental in the success for the teams they have been apart of. Wesley provides a huge amount of international experience including a Rugby World Cup win with the Black Ferns, while Marty has a wealth of experience spanning across age group and provincial rugby. We are confident this trio will establish a great culture around the team and a platform to achieve their goals both on and off the field.” 

The New Zealand Under 20’s side will be named in April, before a warm up series with Australia in Wellington, with games on the 29th of May and 3rd of June.

The Championship campaign kicks off against Wales on the 24th of June, with the final scheduled for the 14th of July.