Marty Bourke will leave the top-of-the-table Canterbury NPC team at the end of the season after four campaigns as head coach.
His departure was confirmed today by the Canterbury Rugby Union.
According to Stuff News, the Bay of Plenty-raised backs coaching specialist says the decision to leave was “the toughest” of his career because of the strong bonds and connections he feels towards the region.
He says that it is the right moment for someone else to step in and take the team forward into the future.
Bourke first joined Canterbury as an assistant coach in 2021 under Mark Brown and Reuben Thorne.
After the Canterbury abandoned the co-coaching model, Bourke stepped up to the head coach role in 2022. He has now led the team for the past four seasons.
They currently sit top of the NPC table and won the Ranfurly Shield from Southland before losing it to Otago.
Bourke joins some big names on a list of long-serving Canterbury coaches, headed by Prof Jim Stewart who was in charge for seven seasons from 1967 to 1973.
