Rugby Canada's newest high performance director drawing rave reviews

Stephen Aboud arrives as Rugby Canada's new high performance director with a glowing endorsement, albeit from his wife.

"He makes others look good," says Olive.

Aboud also gets rave reviews from outside his immediate family.

"We took our time to try to get the right person," said Rugby Canada CEO Nathan Bombrys. "I'm feeling really good about Steve and what he's about. And what his values are as a man and his philosophies in rugby. I think he's going to really really help us improve and help us get better every day."

"He's fantastic at what he does," added Canada men's 15s coach Kingsley Jones. "He's a great signing by Rugby Canada. A great addition."

Aboud has the resume to back that up.

The Irish native most recently spent six years with the Italy Rugby Federation, serving as head of technical direction for the development of players and coaches. Before that he spent 26 years with the Irish Rugby Football Union in a variety of roles.

Ireland's men are ranked No. 1 in the world while Italy is No. 13. Canada is ranked 23rd.

Aboud officially took up his new role in Langford, B.C., this month. But he started getting the lay of the land weeks before that, making connections — and listening. He said he didn't want his arrival to be like "a blind date."

"Every organization is like the Vatican. It looks different from the outside," said Aboud.

He is joining an organization that is undergoing change under Bombrys, whose appointment as CEO was announced in April 2022.

An independent review last year into Rugby Canada's high-performance programs painted a damning picture of a dysfunctional organization at odds with its athletes, staff and supporters.

Aboud went over the report multiple times before taking the job, acknowledging