Simon Cron

Simon Cron
Place of birthNew Zealand
SchoolChristchurch Boys' High School
UniversityUniversity of Canterbury
Rugby union career
Position(s) Head coach
Current team Force
Coaching career
Years Team
2015–2017 Northern Suburbs
2016 Sydney Rays
2017 Australia U20s
2018–2019 Waratahs (assistant coach)
2019–2022 Toyota Verblitz
2023– Force

Simon Cron is a New Zealand born professional rugby union football coach.[1] He is currently head coach of the Western Force rugby team that plays in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. He was appointed Western Force head coach ahead of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season in March 2022.[2] Cron's rugby coaching journey included being head coach at Northern Suburbs Rugby Football Club[3] in the Shute Shield competition. In 2016 he led them to their first Shute Shield premiership, breaking a 41 year drought. In 2016 Cron was appointed head coach of the Sydney Rays in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). In 2017 he also became the head coach of the Australia U20s.[4] This was followed by two year spell as Waratahs assistant coach, which included a Semi-final appearance against the Lions in Johannesburg [5] in 2018. At the end of 2019 Cron moved to Japan as head coach of Toyota Verblitz,[6] before returning to Australia to coach the Force.[7]

  1. ^ "Simon Cron". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  2. ^ "'We can make a dominant team': Ambitious Force sign Cron to turn them into title contenders". Fox Sports. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Norths coach Simon Cron keeps emotions in check as Shute Shield decider approaches". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  4. ^ "The rise and rise of new Waratahs coach Simon Cron". Rugby News. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Waratahs go down fighting against Lions in Super Rugby semi". The Guardian. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Forrest's Force ambition the lure for incoming coach Cron". ESPN Rugby. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  7. ^ "New Western Force coach Simon Cron promises a cut-throat side as he rebuilds ahead of new Super Rugby season". The West. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.