Mark Bakewell

Mark Bakewell
Birth name Mark Bakewell
Date of birth (1963-12-11) 11 December 1963
Place of birth Christchurch, New Zealand
Rugby union career
Position(s) Forwards Coach
Current team Leicester
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
????–1995 Eastern Suburbs ()
Teams coached
Years Team
1995–2001 Eastern Suburbs
2001–03 CA Brive
2003–06 AS Beziers
2006–09 Bath
2010–11 Melbourne Rebels
2012–13 Tonga
2014 Eastern Suburbs
2015–2016 Suntory Sungoliath
2016–18 Bristol
2018– Leicester Tigers
Correct as of 1 March 2018

Mark Bakewell (born 11 December 1963) is an Australian rugby union forwards coach for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby. Bakewell has traveled extensively in a coaching career spanning over 20 years; he has coached Eastern Suburbs and Melbourne Rebels in Australia; Brive and Béziers in France; the Tongan national team; Suntory Sungoliath in Japan; as well as Bath and Bristol in England.

Early life and playing career

Bakewell was born in Christchurch, New Zealand,[1] and began playing rugby aged four before moving to Australia at seven.[2] He played around 400 games for Eastern Suburbs in Sydney at prop and in the backrow.[3] In 1996 he became an Australian citizen.[2]

Coaching career

Bakewell began his coaching career at Eastern Suburbs, his old club, as a forwards and strength and conditioning coach in 1995.[2] In 1997 he worked with Australia as their fitness coach[4] and became head coach of Easter Suburbs in 1999 and was named New South Wales coach of the year in 2000.[3] In 2001 he joined CA Brive as head coach in France's Pro D2,[4] he led them to promotion in 2003 but then left following a contract dispute to join AS Béziers.[3]

Following three seasons with Béziers Bakewell joined Bath in July 2006 as forwards coach under Steve Meehan.[5] He has described the three years he spent at Bath as his favourite job,[3] with Bath finishing in the title play off positions in both 2008 and 2009. He later returned to Australia to be forwards coach to the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.[3]

In 2012 he joined Tonga as forwards coach and was part of the coaching team when Tonga beat Scotland in Scotland. In 2014 he returned to Eastern Suburbs as head coach[6] but quickly moved on in April to Japan joining Suntory Sungoliath.[7][2] After a season in Japan, In February 2016, Bakewell returned to England to replace Steve Borthwick at Bristol in England's second division.[8] Whilst at Bristol Bakewell saw the side promoted in 2016 but then relegated from Premiership Rugby the following year.

On 14 February 2018 Bakewell joined Leicester Tigers to work as forwards coach under fellow Australian Matt O'Connor.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Leicester Tigers profile". leicestertigers.com. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Spirits of Sungoliath: Mark Bakewell". suntory.com. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "My Life in Rugby". 24 November 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Payne follows coach to France". ESPNscrum. 13 June 2001. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Bath confirm Bakewell appointment". 21 July 2006. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Easts confirm international-look coaching panel for 2014 season". 2 November 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Former Easts coach Mark Bakewell eyes opportunities in Japan". Sydney Morning Herald. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  8. ↑ "Bristol Rugby appoint Mark Bakewell as forwards coach". BBC. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Mark Bakewell joins Leicester Tigers as their new forwards coach". Leicester Mercury. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
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