Birth name | Mark Bakewell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mark Bakewell is an Australian rugby union forwards coach. Bakewell has travelled extensively in a coaching career spanning over 29 years; he has coached Eastern Suburbs Sydney University and Melbourne Rebels as well as Strength and Conditioning coach for The Wallabies in 1996 in Australia; Was head coach in Brive and Béziers in France; Forwards coach with the Tongan national team; Suntory Sungoliath in Japan; as well as Bath, Bristol and Leicester Tigers in England being the only Southern Hemisphere forwards coach to coach 3 Premiership forward packs
Bakewell was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, [1] and began playing rugby aged four before moving to Australia at seven. [2] He played & coached more than 400 gamesforEastern Suburbsin Sydneyplaying prop and in the backrow. He is the only living person to have played and coached more than 100 first grade games for Easts [3] In 1996 he became an Australian citizen. [2]
Bakewell began his coaching career at Eastern Suburbs, his old club, as a forwards and strength and conditioning coach in 1995. [2] In 1996 he worked with Australia underGreg Smith as their strength and conditioning coach preparing them for their 1996 undefeated European tour [4] and became head coach of Eastern Suburbs in 1999 and was named New South Wales coach of the year in 2000 after leading Easts to 15 consecutive wins ,being the most consecutive wins in their 100 year history . [3] In 2001 he joined CA Brive as head coach in France's Pro D2, [4] he led them to promotion in 2003 but then left following a contract dispute to join AS Béziers. [3]
Following two seasons with Béziers Bakewelljoined Bath in July 2006 as forwards coach under Steve Meehan. [5] He has described the three years he spent at Bath as his favourite job, [3] with Bath finishing in the title play off positions in both 2008 and 2009In 2008 Bath also won The European Challenge Cup .Post Bath he returned to Australia to be forwards coach of the Melbourne Rebels in their inaugural 2011 season Super Rugby. [3]
In 2012 he joined Tonga as forwards coach and was part of the coaching team when Tonga beat Scotland in Scotland.In 2012 he also returned to Eastern Suburbs as head coach until early 2014 [6] but quickly moved on in April to Japan joining Suntory Sungoliath. [7] [2] After two seasons in Japan, In February 2016, Bakewell returned to England to replace Steve Borthwick at Bristol in England's second division. [8] While at Bristol Bakewell saw the side promoted in 2016 but then relegated from Premiership Rugby the following year.
On 14 February 2018 Bakewell joined Leicester Tigers to work as forwards coach under fellow Australian Matt O'Connor. [9]
BBC Radio Leicester reported that Bakewell has left his role on 10 December 2019, [10] with the club eventually confirming his departure on 18 December. [11]
Neil Antony Back MBE is a former international rugby union footballer for England and the British & Irish Lions who also played for Nottingham RFC, Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career.
Lewis Walton Moody MBE is an English retired rugby union player. He played for Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side.
Mark Regan MBE is an English former rugby union player. Nicknamed 'Ronnie', he played as a hooker for Bristol, Bath, Leeds Tykes as well as England and the British and Irish Lions.
Bristol Bears are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Stephen William Borthwick is an English rugby union coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of the England national team. As a player, he played as a lock for Bath and Saracens. At international level, he played for England 57 times from his debut in 2001; he served as captain from 2008 until he was dropped from the side in 2010.
Randwick District Rugby Union Football Club, also known as the Galloping Greens, is an Australian rugby union club which competes in the Sydney premier grade rugby union competition. The club was formed in 1882 and since then has won 32 first grade premierships and six Australian club championships. It is one of the traditional powerhouses of the Shute Shield competition, winning 14 titles from 1978 to 1996. Randwick's colours are myrtle green and the club's home ground is Coogee Oval. In the 1980s the club produced many Wallabies, including the Ella brothers. Its history has seen many of Australia's best players represent the club, including the likes of George Gregan, Rocky Elsom and David Campese. In all, 93 Randwick players have pulled on a Wallaby jersey, and nine have had the honour of captaining their country.
Andrew Mark Lloyd is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a back row or second row forward. Born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, he played for Bath, Northampton and the Ospreys. His career was greatly interrupted by injuries, and he won just one cap for Wales, on the tour to Japan in 2001.
Andrew Friend is an Australian rugby union coach and former player. He completed his most recent post as Director of Rugby for Irish province Connacht at the end of the 2022/23 URC season. He was previously head coach of the Australia Sevens team, the Brumbies in Super Rugby, English club Harlequins, and Canon Eagles and Suntory Sungoliath in the Japanese Top League.
Brian Anthony Smith is an Australian rugby union coach and former rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for both Australia and Ireland in rugby union.
William Harry Hurrell is an English former rugby union player who played as a centre for London Welsh, Leicester, Coventry, Doncaster, Bristol Bears and Bath.
History of Leicester Tigers details the history of the rugby union club based in Leicester, England. Nicknamed the Tigers from 1885, Leicester have been a prominent club from the earliest days of organised English rugby dominating midlands rugby before the First World War; providing British Lions captains in 1930, 1936, 1997 and 2001; and winning 21 major titles since 1979 including a record 11 Premiership Rugby titles.