Samoa hunting for full-time coach

Time up: Michael Jones is the outgoing Samoa coach

The Samoa Rugby Union (SRU) is looking for a full-time coach to replace Michael Jones at the helm, following the legendary flanker's resignation after the World Cup in France.

In a press statement on Wednesday, the SRU made it quite clear that it was looking for an individual that not only had sufficient international experience, but was also prepared to commit himself to the national team throughout the year.

"We need to move away from part-time coaches. Professional teams all have full-time coaches now," said SRU Chief Executive officer Su'a Peter Schuster.

Jones, who coached the islanders on a part-time basis leading up to the World Cup, resigned after what was a disappointing tournament and the SRU is now looking for a coach that can lead them to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

Apart from not qualifying for the quarter-finals, the Samoans - under Jones - lost to their archrivals Tonga for the first time in seven years (nine matches).

The SRU said that one of the reasons for the poor World Cup display was not having a full-time coach available.

Applications for the new post will close on January 4, 2008, in the hope that a new coach can be appointed before the International Rugby Board (IRB) Pacific Nations Cup, which features Japan, Australia 'A', New Zealand Maori, Fiji and Tonga midway through next year.