Taranaki Rugby coach Colin Cooper has expressed a strong interest in taking up the Maori All Blacks job. The former Hurricanes and Junior All Blacks coach has said the only thing stopping him from applying would be whether or not the job clashed with his NPC commitments. Cooper, 54, represented the Maori All Blacks in 1982 and 1983 before a serious neck injury ended his playing career. His national coaching positions include the New Zealand Colts and the Junior All Blacks, a side he coached with current All Blacks assistant Ian Foster. The Maori All Blacks job became vacant after under pressure Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph quit to focus on his efforts on the struggling Super Rugby franchise. Joseph has coached the Maori team for the past three years but has opted to step down, meaning a new coach will take the team on a two-match tour of North America in November 2013. They will play Canada in Toronto on November 3rd 2013 and the United States in Philadelphia on November 9th 2013.
