(Reuters) -Canterbury Crusaders coach Rob Penney has put aside contract talks with club management to focus on the team's run to the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs, chief executive Colin Mansbridge said.
The Crusaders are second on the table ahead of Saturday's away clash against the Otago Highlanders, a stunning revival after finishing ninth in Penney's difficult first season in charge last year.
Penney's two-year contract is set to expire at the end of this season but he is in no hurry to talk about extending, Mansbridge said.
"Whenever you’re dropping hints or trying to talk about it, he’s just saying 'let’s get through this season'," Mansbridge told the New Zealand Herald. "He is laser-focused on this team, this year. He doesn’t want any distractions in his way."
Having replaced Scott Robertson, who delivered seven championship trophies in seven years at the Crusaders, Penney struggled with the loss of key players to injuries and overseas contracts in 2024.
With fans up in arms and media pundits demanding change as the losses piled up, Crusaders management came under huge pressure to sack Penney.
But Mansbridge publicly backed the coach to turn things around, and Penney survived an end-of-season review to put the Crusaders back in championship contention six weeks out from the playoffs.
Mansbridge said he was "stoked" for Penney, who had carried a heavy burden to lift the team.
"When he’s seeing people struggle, that impacts him," Mansbridge said. "He's much more sensitive than the grumpy old b***** you see sometimes."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
