News | 15 August 2023
Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to announce the appointment of Gareth Baber as Director of Rugby System, a pivotal addition to the University’s growing rugby system.
Gareth Baber
Baber has a distinguished career and remarkable track record of accomplishments. He was most recently the Assistant Attack and Skills Coach at Edinburgh Rugby. Prior to this, his remarkable tenure as the Head Coach for both Fiji Rugby 7s and Hong Kong Rugby 7s gained global attention, culminating in Fiji’s historic Olympic Gold triumph at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Furthermore, Gareth brings with him further experience, as a former Welsh international player himself and various coaching roles with the Welsh regions.
On his appointment, Gareth said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Cardiff Met University as the Director of Rugby System and the opportunity the new role brings for Cardiff Met Rugby. It’s an exciting opportunity to lead this rugby system whilst working within the University’s wider sporting environment. Through building a sustainable system and model we are dedicated as a team to working hard to achieve success on and off the field. I’m extremely excited to see the development over the coming years.”
This newly created position underlines Cardiff Met’s commitment to delivering a high quality and exciting experience for players, from their junior programme through to the performance programmes.
This appointment comes at an exciting time for Cardiff Met Rugby who have a track record of consistently producing players who go on to sign professional contracts and achieve international honours in both the men’s and women’s games. This appointment, along with their partnership with the WRU will also have a hugely positive influence in the Cardiff community and junior game.
While Baber’s role will provide a new level of leadership and strategic planning throughout the rugby system, he is joining an already experienced team at Cardiff Met. Dr Daniel Milton will continue to lead the men’s performance programme as Head of Men’s Performance, and Lisa Newton leads the women’s performance programme as the Head Coach. Rhys Roberts is continuing his role as the Head of Community Rugby, leading the University’s junior programme and community delivery in partnership with the WRU.
Director of Sport, Ben O’Connell commented: “We are delighted to welcome Gareth to the team at Cardiff Met Sport. Attracting someone with experience on the global sporting stage shows the strength and high regard our rugby system is held in. We take immense pride in this milestone appointment, as we strive for excellence in our provision at all levels of the game and across both our men’s & women’s programme.”
