London Skolars are delighted to announce that Joe Mbu has agreed to return to the club as Head Coach for the 2022 Betfred League 1 season.
The recruitment of a new Head Coach has taken slightly longer than initially planned. This is mainly due to the volume of high-quality applicants that the club received. The club would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that we spoke with throughout the process.
Growing up locally and having played extensively for the London Broncos, Joe has a thorough understanding of Rugby League in London. He knows the club and the talent at our disposal throughout the Southeast. He has a strong history of developing players and has expressed his eagerness at unearthing new talent, that can go on to have long careers in the professional game. Even though Joe has previously held the position (from 2010-2015), the Board believe that he will bring a freshness to the role and will build on the positive work undertaken by Jermaine Coleman within the first-team set-up. Joe will balance his first-team duties alongside his role as Head Coach of Nigeria.
On his appointment, Mbu said “I am very pleased to be returning as Head Coach. I enjoyed my previous stint and have maintained a huge fondness for the club and the local area. I have kept in touch with several players over the years. I look forward to working with some of them again and bringing new faces into the squad. Pre-season will be starting in a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to get underway”
CEO Colin Browne also commented on the appointment “We are delighted to welcome Joe back to the club. His achievements as a Super League player with Broncos/Harlequins and as a coach at London Skolars fill us with enthusiasm for the future. We have every confidence in Joe to build a competitive squad and to bring the excitement back to New River”.
Joe’s first match in charge will be the ‘Capital Challenge’ against local friends and rivals, London Broncos on January 14th at the HAC. Over the coming weeks, London Skolars’ fans can look forward to announcements about player signings and other additions to the coaching team.
All media enquiries can be directed to General Manager, Charlie de Haan – charliedehaan@skolarsrl.com . The club would be happy to arrange a virtual Q&A with Joe.
