Huddersfield Giants bolster coaching staff with former NRL and Super League stalwart

Huddersfield Giants have added former NRL and Super League stalwart Jake Webster to their coaching staff following his departure from League 1 outfit Keighley Cougars earlier this year.

Eight-time New Zealand international Webster had been in charge of Keighley since last July, moving from his role as Director of Rugby to head coach at Cougar Park following the dismissal of Matt Foster.

Initially appointed head coach on an interim basis, the Cougars failed to get promoted via the League 1 play-offs under Webster’s tutelage last term, but was kept on and handed a permanent contract ahead of the 2025 campaign.

After just one game this season though, his tenure at Keighley came to a rather premature end, and a few months on, he is now back in rugby league with Huddersfield.

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Huddersfield Giants bolster coaching staff with former NRL and Super League stalwart

41-year-old Webster is no stranger to rugby league at the highest level having amassed close to 300 top-flight appearances between Super League and the NRL.

Donning the shirts of both Melbourne Storm and the Gold Coast Titans Down Under, he moved to Super League with Hull KR in 2008 and also went on to represent Castleford Tigers over 100 times in the top tier.

Having tasted the lower echelons of the pyramid at York, Bradford Bulls and Keighley before moving into his off-field roles, the Melbourne native is vastly experienced.

After making his move to Huddersfield official, he said: “I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity.

“I get to learn from a full-time environment and from Robbo (Luke Robinson, head coach) and Finny (Liam Finn, assistant), which is exciting for me. I’ve been here a couple of weeks now, so I feel like I’m settled in.

“I’ve been around the leagues and played for a number of years, so I hope my experience will translate into the players we’re coaching here, especially working with the young lads like George (Flanagan Jr).”

Webster’s playing career saw him score exactly 150 tries at club level across Super League and the NRL, as well as five on the international scene for the Kiwis, who he donned a shirt for between 2005 and 2007.

The Giants’ Director of Rugby, Andy Kelly, added: “It’s simple for us, Jake wants to come on board to the club and we’ve made it a more permanent role to the end of the year.

“It’s vital we have an extra pair of hands, extra experience with him playing at the very highest level, it adds to our existing coaching team.

“It’s important to us to have the right number of staff with the right knowledge and experience. We see a more fluid training session as it frees up our coaches to really train in their level of expertise.”

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