Former Japan attack coach Dan Bowden joins Cardiff Rugby as assistant

Dan Bowden has been appointed assistant coach at Cardiff Rugby, the United Rugby Championship side confirmed, marking the 40-year-old New Zealander’s return to the UK almost ten years after he retired from playing.

Bowden brings a varied coaching résumé to the Welsh capital. After hanging up his boots, he moved into talent identification and recruitment at Auckland before transitioning to coaching, guiding Auckland to the NPC title in 2018. He then won back-to-back League One titles with Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan before joining Eddie Jones’s national set-up as attack coach in 2024.

As a player, Bowden was a New Zealand age-grade fly-half who made his name as a creative playmaker with the Highlanders in Super Rugby, later adding stints at London Irish, Leicester and Bath in the English Premiership.

Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl was direct about why the club moved for Bowden. “He’s a top-quality coach, has great experience and is a good person who brings energy,” van Zyl said. “With Matt [Sherratt] leaving at the beginning of last season, we felt we were a little bit short in a few aspects of the game. So Dan comes in as an assistant who will work across multiple areas of our game.”

Van Zyl added that Bowden’s recent work in Japan gave the appointment an extra dimension. “He has great experience of the UK and the rugby played here, but most recently he has been attack coach with Japan so he has a wealth of experience, and it will be awesome to have that input improving our systems and players.”

Bowden joins a coaching group that already includes Gethin Jenkins, Jonny Goodridge and Scott Andrews.

“I’m very excited to be joining Cardiff Rugby,” Bowden said. “I have always admired the club’s ambition and the way it wants to play rugby. I’m looking forward to contributing my experience, supporting the coaching group and helping the players continue to grow and develop.”