Neil Back today starts one of the most challenging roles in his illustrious career when he takes over as head coach of Rugby Lions, charged with turning the lowly Midlands club into an Aviva Premiership side within five years.
Back, the World Cup-winning flanker from 2003, resigned from Leeds Carnegie after their relegation at the end of last season. He had been among the favourites to take over at London Wasps but instead has opted to start all over again and work his way up from the bottom at a club with one of the most famous names in the game.
In a move which, in terms of scale, could be compared to Sven-Göran Eriksson’s to Notts County, Back, 42, has been persuaded to drop down to National League 3 Midlands by Michael Aland, Rugby’s new owner.
Aland, a former Rugby player who became a succesful businessman in Canada, has a vision to turn Rugby into one of the game’s leading clubs.
Although Eriksson’s venture ended in tears, Back does not believe he is taking a risk. “This is an incredible challenge and one which, after a great deal of thought, I felt I could not turn down,” Back, who was born in nearby Coventry, said. “Michael sold me his vision of taking this famous club back to the top flight of English rugby, whilst doing something really meaningful for the town. It is a big call for me, having coached in the Aviva Premiership, and I have asked myself whether it is a retrograde step given how ambitious I am. It’s not about money. Nor is this is an easy option by any stretch of the imagination, which is why I asked for a five-year contract.”
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Aland’s long-term plans include a new 30,000-capacity stadium, complete with retractable roof. The 47-year-old is owner and managing director of the Rugby Construction Group in Vancouver.
“I looked around the Premiership and the second Neil became available he was my No 1 candidate,” he said. “Neil has a passion for the game and truly believes that the home of the game, the town of Rugby, should have a top-flight team based in it. My aim is to put into place a venture which will sustain itself.”
Aland will also use Rugby as an academy to help with the development of players from emerging countries, such as Canada. “My idea was to acquire a club in the UK and bring players through in a way conducive to the country they represent,” he said.
Lewis Moody, who played with Back in 2003 and who captains England to the World Cup in New Zealand this autumn, believes Martin Johnson’s side are off the pace compared with eight years ago under Sir Clive Woodward but are better prepared than they were in 2007.
“We’re in really good shape, it’s difficult to compare the two [previous training camps] but if we had to you’d find we sit somewhere smack-bang in-between,” Moody said.