Atlanta Old White Rugby Club 2018-2019 Coaches

Atlanta Old White RFC Release

Atlanta Old White RFC is pleased to introduce the coaching staff for the 2018-2019 campaign. Head Coach and Director of High Performance, Francesco Balsas leads the high-caliber unit; which features homegrown talent and experienced high-level rugby talent. Coach Francesco returns for his 5th season (15th year with AOW) as manager of AOW’s D2 program and welcomes back Justin ‘Telly’ Chappell (6th year with AOW) to lead the D3 team. Joining them on staff are a few new faces to the program, in former USA Eagles National Team players: Nese Malifa (Backs, Attack) and Phil Thiel (Forwards, Defense).

“We are absolutely thrilled to have these coaches lead our program to new heights. AOW takes a good deal of pride in seeing Coach Francesco and Coach Telly have success in their leadership roles and it goes without saying how excited the organization is to add Coach Nese and Coach Phil. Their rugby experience will be an important asset to player development and, most importantly, their personalities fit extremely well with the culture here at AOW.” – Cathal Doyle, Director of Rugby, Atlanta Old White RFC.

Coach Francesco Balsas led AOW to 2 South Championships and a Nationals Final Four appearance. He also serves as Forwards Coach for USA Rugby South Panthers, where he has contributed to 2 Rugby Americas North (RAN) Championships.

Coach Telly Chappell brought over 20 years of rugby experience to the D3 program at AOW. He has been involved with well-respected clubs on both coasts and previously served as AOW Club President.
Coach Nese Malifa was a member of the USA Eagles National team in both 15s and 7s and participated in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Born in American Samoa, Nese was a representative rugby player in Auckland in both 15s and 7s, as well as playing representative rugby in Samoa. His stellar athletic career includes representation for Samoa in cricket. Recently, he has served on the coaching staff at Tiger Rugby.
Coach Phil Thiel was a member of the USA Eagles National team and participated in the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup. He gained additional international experience playing Premiership Rugby with English professional rugby union team Saracens. Phil also played with Life University’s D1 and Elite Cup teams.

Other Articles

DJCoil Rugby articles by Doug Coil are also available on Facebook. Other Social Media sites to follow or subscribe include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for interviews.

About Author

North American Rugby News With A USA Slant