John Dobson (rugby union coach)
Date of birth | 15 April 1947 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Welkom, Vrystaat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
John Dobson is a South African rugby union coach, currently the head coach of United Rugby Championship side Stormers.[1]
Career
Playing career
As a player, Dobson played as a hooker for Western Province, as well as amateur club sides in the Western Province Super League such as UCT Ikey Tigers, Villagers sand Northerns. He also had spells in Italy at Valpolicella Rugby Club and Portugal.[1]
UCT Ikey Tigers / Roma
He was the head coach of the
Dobson was appointed as the technical director of Italian
Western Province Under-21 / Vodacom Cup
In 2010, Dobson was appointed as the coach of the
He also took over Western Province's Vodacom Cup team and helped them to a quarter final spot in 2011, where they lost 19–21 to a Sharks XV.[9] In the second half of the season, his Western Province Under-21 side reached the semi-final of the 2011 Under-21 Provincial Championship, but Dobson lost out to the same opposition, with the Sharks U21s winning the match 19–12.[10]
Western Province won the Vodacom Cup under Dobson's tutelage for the first and only time in 2012, beating five-time champions Griquas 20–18 in Kimberley.[11] Dobson reached another final with the Under-21 side, but they fell short in the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship, losing 13–22 to the Blue Bulls U21s.[12]
The 2013 Vodacom Cup saw Western Province again reach the play-offs, but they lost 25–44 to eventual champions the Golden Lions in the semi-finals,[13] but Dobson had more success at Under-21 level, winning the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship, beating the Blue Bulls U21s 30–23[14] to win their second title in three seasons.
An exit in the quarter final stage of the 2014 Vodacom Cup (losing 8–13 to the Pumas)[15] was followed by a run to the finals for the Under-21s; however, they failed to defend their title, losing 10–20 to the Blue Bulls U21s.[16]
Dobson once again guided Western Province to the final of the Vodacom Cup in 2015, but were defeated 7–24 by the Pumas who won their first Vodacom Cup title.[17]
In total, Dobson guided Western Province to the Vodacom Cup play-offs for five consecutive years between 2011 and 2015, winning the title once. He also guided the Western Province Under-21s to five consecutive play-offs between 2010 and 2014, winning two titles and ending as losing finalists on two occasions.
Western Province Currie Cup
In February 2015, Dobson was appointed as the head coach of
In 2016, Dobson's Western Province finished in top spot of the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series,[20] winning thirteen of their fourteen matches during the competition.[21]
Personal life
Away from the coaching field, Dobson holds a Law Degree, a master's degree in Business Administration and another one in Creative Writing, which he attained at the University of Cape Town.[22] He is the founder of the 365 Media Group and the Rugby365 website. He is also an author and so far published two novels, Year of the Gherkin in 2012[23] and Year of the Turnip in 2016.[24]
References
- ^ a b "Q&A with John Dobson". Western Province. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – UCT 10–16 Maties". South African Rugby Union. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – UCT 17–19 Pukke". South African Rugby Union. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Dobson lands top Italy job". Sport24. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Aironi and Praetorians set for Magners League". ESPN Scrum. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Maties 17–14 UCT". South African Rugby Union. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Blue Bulls 32–43 Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Tuks 16–26 UCT". South African Rugby Union. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 19–21 Sharks XV". South African Rugby Union. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Western Province 12–19 Sharks". South African Rugby Union. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – GWK Griquas 18–20 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 13–22 Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – MTN Golden Lions 44–25 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 30–23 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Steval Pumas 13–8 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Western Province U21 10–20 Blue Bulls U21". South African Rugby Union. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 7–24 Steval Pumas". South African Rugby Union. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Coetzee to leave WP Rugby at the end of 2015" (Press release). Western Province. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Xerox Golden Lions 32–24 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "WP secure top spot on log". South African Rugby Union. 23 July 2016. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Log – 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ "Dobson: A multi-talented man". Varsity Cup. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "The 'other' John Dobson". UCT Ikey Tigers. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Year of the Turnip: Win a free copy". Rugby365. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.