NZ Rugby high-performance boss Mike Antony recruited by EPL club Brighton

New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) high-performance boss Mike Anthony is moving on to join English Premier League football side Brighton after more than 15 years with the organisation.

The 54-year-old will join the club next month, subject to being granted a work permit, as the club’s first head of player development and high performance.

Anthony has more than 25 years of experience working across elite-level sport, including a 14‑year spell with New Zealand Rugby in a range of senior performance roles, while he has also worked with English-based side Gloucester.

In his new role, he will work closely with sporting director Jason Ayto, technical director Mike Cave and head coach Fabian Hurzeler.

“His track record within one of world sport’s most successful high‑performance systems speaks for itself,” Ayto said in a club statement.

“Mike has an exceptional ability to build environments where players, coaches and teams can thrive, and his expertise will strengthen every part of our performance structure.”

The Seagulls are currently in their ninth consecutive top-flight season and two years ago played European football for the first time.

Hurzeler has previously spoken out about his admiration for the All Blacks after reading a book Legacy: What The All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business Of Life by James Kerr.

“There is a book about the All Blacks, and they talk about the red head and the blue head, the cool head,” Hurzeler said.

“And if you are always in the red head and acting with too much emotion, saying: ‘We have to make a revenge, we are angry that they beat us seven-zero,’ I think then you are too much in the emotional part of your mind and that’s why it’s so important to stay in the blue phase, in the cool head, make decisions without emotions, stay rational.”

Hurzeler also spent time in England’s rugby camp before their win over the All Blacks in November.

Anthony’s departure is part of recent mass changes at NZR. They are still on the hunt for a new chief executive following Mark Robinson’s departure, a chief commercial officer and chief financial officer. World Cup-winning halfback David Kirk has also been working in his role as chair for just over a year.

Steve Lancaster is currently the acting CEO.

There have also been big changes in the national team coaching set-ups, with Jason Holland leaving as an All Blacks assistant, while Whitney Hansen has taken over from Allan Bunting as Black Ferns coach.

Anthony was leading the All Blacks’ end-of-season review, alongside NZR’s general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum, while Don Tricker was also involved due to the pair’s close relationship with head coach Scott Robertson.

In a statement to the Herald, Lendrum thanked Anthony for his time with NZR and described his departure as a “significant loss”.

“Mike Anthony has been at the forefront of national high performance for over 17 years in a variety of roles across rugby, most recently as New Zealand Rugby Head of Men’s High Performance,” Lendrum said.

“His contribution through this period has been immense, with involvement in multiple winning campaigns across Crusaders, NZ Under 20s, All Blacks Sevens and the All Blacks.

“While this is a significant loss for New Zealand Rugby, we’re incredibly happy for Mike and the opportunity his new role with English football’s Premier League team Brighton Hove and Albion brings.”

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.