7th Tackle: Kiwis enter life of Brian

There’s still life in the coaching career of Brian Smith, who has signed-on as coaching supervisor for New Zealand’s World Cup campaign.

The 63-year-old hasn’t been sighted in the NRL since his departure from the Roosters at the end of 2012.

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He’s since had a few gigs with weaker Super League clubs, before spending the past 18 months in relative seclusion in the Blue Mountains.

But with David Kidwell struggling to extract the best from the Kiwis in his first year at the helm, the NZRL wanted a senior figure to oversee the Nation’s World Cup campaign.

Smith actually applied to coach the New Zealand Warriors in 2013, but was overlooked.

We reckon he’s a good fit for this job as his record turning around underperforming organisations is impressive.

Panthers NSW Cup coach Garth Brennan has been appointed Kidwell’s assistant.