Cardiff Rugby have snapped up the services of Jonny Goodridge ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The former full-back, who spent more than a decade plying his trade for Gloucester, Leeds Carnegie and Bristol, takes up the position of assistant attack / skills coach following the departure of Richie Rees.
Goodridge boasts a wealth of experience coaching and developing talent having previously worked within the academy at Bristol Bears, and as a coach at Christ College Brecon and Hartpury College.
The 43-year-old then spent two and a half years as Transition Attack Coach at Worcester Warriors, where he worked closely with Matt Sherratt. He returned to Hartpury following the demise of the Warriors to coach their attack and develop the Gloucester Rugby transition players.
But Goodridge will now make the move to Cardiff and Sherratt is pleased to be reunited with the highly-rated backs coach, who he believes can help improve the attack and our first team squads’ individual development.
Sherratt said: “Jonny, is an excellent coach. He has a great work ethic, a thirst for detail and makes great relationships with players.
“Our goal at Cardiff is to run a programme where players feel they get individual development and this is all the more important now with such a young squad.
“Jonnys skill development work is excellent having worked with young players such as Finn Smith, Ollie Lawrence and Louis Rees-Zammit.
“Jonny has had Premiership experience and also done a long apprenticeship coaching in academies and in the Championship. It is a great fit to acquire a coach who lives in Cardiff, and is looking to take his career to the next level.”
Goodridge will link up with the club for the start of pre-season and has been impressed by the young talent that continues to emerge at the Arms Park.
He is now relishing the opportunity to work with Sherratt once more and to play his part in improving the squad.
Goodridge said: “The opportunity to coach at a huge club, with a squad full of young talent and current internationals, is something I am really excited about. It is a new environment and exciting league to test my coaching.
“I have actually lived in and around Cardiff since 2011, so to coach what I already know is a fantastic club is brilliant and I am hoping to add to and enhance the coaching group and environment at the Arms Park.
“I am particularly excited about all of the potential there is within the squad and the brand of rugby they have been playing. Working together, we can really push on the development of this group.
“I have also been lucky enough to be coached by Matt Sherratt, while I was playing at Bristol, and to work with him as a coach at Worcester. We have similar views on how the game can be played and the importance of skill development within that.
“I really enjoyed my time working with him at Sixways and I’m really looking forward to linking up with him again, as well as the rest of the coaching staff and such a talented squad.”