The former Scarlets and Wales Women attack coach left his role with the Wales Women’s team after helping them play at last year’s World Cup in New Zealand. Prior to that he had spent two years as the attack coach at the Scarlets.
The former Gloucester Rugby academy director left Wales to join up with new Highlanders coach Clark Dermody in Dunedin. The two had previously worked together at London Irish and he completed a full Super Rugby Pacifica campaign this year as their attack coach
Now he has returned to the UK and will take up his new role as CAVC seek a temporary replacement for the highly successful Martyn Fowler, who is currently on a leave of absence due to ill-health.
“We are delighted to announce Richard Whiffin as our new interim Head of Rugby. Richard brings a wealth of experience working with London Irish, Gloucester, England U20, Scarlets, Wales Women and recently working as the attack coach for Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacifica,” announced the CAVC Academy via Twitter.
Fowler set-up the Rugby Academy at CAVC 10 years ago and guided them to back-to-back victories over the past two seasons in the WRU’s top schoolboy U18 tournament.
Last season Fowler’s side not only topped the league, but also added the scalp of Coleg Sir Gar to that of Llandovery College that they had taken in the final a year earlier. They also finished fourth at The World Schools Festival in Thailand last December.
Whiffin will get the chance to lead CAVC into that tournament again this year from 12-17 December. Last year’s they beat the 2019 Leinster Schools champions, St Michael’s College, lost 14-11 to South African side Grey College and then saw a penalty with the last kick of the match against Millfield condemn them to a 15-11 defeat in the third-place play-off final.
Three of the graduates from the 2022 cup final win, Mackenzie Martin, Lucas de la Rua and Harrison James, all made the Wales U20 team last season and De La Rua and Martin played in the recent World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa.
Three more of last season’s champion side, skipper and hooker Saul Hurley, fullback Scott Delnevo and centre Elijah Evans, also made the Wales U18 squad. Both Hurley and Delnevo have signed for Indigo Premiership side Aberavon for the upcoming season.
