The veteran Cook Islands front rower Stan Wright has called time on his international rugby career in order to focus on his new role coaching the national team.
The 37 year old has been playing professional rugby for the past 14 years and captained his country in their 108-6 Rugby World Cup qualifying defeat against Fiji two years ago.
Cook Islands Rugby Union CEO Ben Koteka said Wright will continue to play club rugby in France but has told them he will be involved with the Cookies team in a coaching-only role and plans to surround himself with good people and systems.
Former Cook Islands captain and now coach Stan Wright during his time at Leinster. Photo: AFP
"I'm really excited to get Stan on board. Obviously he's not getting any younger and just good to see a homeboy like Stan - born and bred over here - come around full circle and just wanting to give back. I know he has a real passion for Cook Islands Rugby and just getting Stan back into sort of help us will auger well for the future of Cook Islands Rugby."
The RWC Qualifying Match between Fiji & Cook Islands, 2014. Photo: Fiji Ministry of Information / Facebook
Cook Islands hopes of reaching the World Cup were boosted last year when World Rugby announced a revamped qualifying process, in which up to four Pacific nations could potentially feature in Japan in three years time.
Fiji, Tonga and Samoa will contest a Pacific Tri-Nations over the next two years, with the top two teams earning direct qualification to the 2019 World Cup.
The third-placed team will play a home and away play-off with the top team in the Rugby Europe Championship, excluding Georgia, with the overall winner also qualifying for the World Cup.
Additionally, the winners of the Oceania Cup (which Cook Islands won in 2013) will play the highest-ranked Asian Rugby Championship team for a place in the repechage tournament, from which the final tournament berth will be found.
