James Marshall has been appointed as new assistant coach of the Crusaders for the 2023 Super Rugby season.
The current Tasman Mako assistant coach, Marshall replaces Leinster-bound backs coach Andrew Goodman. The team is still trying to fill the vacancy left by Jason Ryan, who has been promoted to the All Blacks coaching staff, as NZ Rugby searches for answers to the team's recent slump.
Marshall, 33, was personally approached by Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson for the position with the 13-time Super Rugby champions - an offer he admitted was too good to refuse, despite recent assurances to his family they wouldn't have to worry about anymore relocations for the time being.
"Out of nowhere, [Robertson] gave me a call and asked if I'd be interested in filling the massive shoes of Andrew Goodman," Marshall recalled.
"Although I promised the family I would put a stop to moving around for work, when 'Razor' comes calling, probably the most successful coach in Super Rugby, and asks you to come to the most successful franchise, it was a no brainer.
"[Robertson's] record speaks for itself. I've always admired the success of the Crusaders from the outside and wondered what goes on behind the walls, so I'm really excited to get started and work with him, and the rest of the coaching staff, who are all world class coaches in their own right too."
Marshall, who represented the Hurricanes, Tasman, and Taranaki as a player - began his coaching tenure with his former Hurricanes side in 2020, after a hip surgery effectively forced him to hang up his boots.
He then relocated to Nelson to join the Mako as an assistant coach under Shane Christie and outgoing Crusaders assistant Goodman, where he helped lead Tasman to their National Provincial Championship triumph in 2020.
But the upcoming 2022 campaign will be Marshall's last with the Mako, as he shifts his focus fulltime to the Crusaders after this year's NPC.
"I just really want the Crusaders to continue the success they've had," said Marshall. "The great teams understand that they can't rest on their laurels and need to keep improving, so hopefully I can offer one or two little things that might make a big difference."
"Personally, I want to learn as much as I can from the coaches and players involved and see where we all end up at the end of next season."
Marshall’s relatively young age puts him in a unique position as a coach, but he believes his connection with a lot of the players will help him settle in quickly to the Crusaders' high-performance environment.
"There’s not many players I don't know, both through coaching at Tasman and my playing days," he noted. "I feel like I'm going into it with a bit of knowledge around what the guys are like, and I'm just looking forward to working with them as a rugby coach and trying to feed them whatever info I can.
"They're all world class players as well, so I'm sure they can teach me a few things too."
