Cardiff have appointed former Japan assistant coach Dan Bowden to their coaching team ahead of the 2026-27 season. The 40-year-old former New Zealand age-grade fly-half was part of Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms coaching group when they defeated Wales in Kitakyushu in July 2025.
Bowden's coaching journey
Since leaving Japan's coaching setup, Bowden had been linked with a role as Edinburgh's attack coach and held brief conversations with the Welsh Rugby Union regarding vacant coaching positions, though those talks did not progress. He will now join Corniel van Zyl's coaching staff at Cardiff Arms Park, working across multiple areas of the game.
Bowden began his coaching career with Auckland, initially as a talent identification and recruitment manager, before helping them win the NPC title in 2018 as a coach. He then spent two years with Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan, securing back-to-back League One titles, prior to joining the national team setup.
Van Zyl's first full season
Van Zyl is preparing for his first full season as Cardiff's head coach after taking over on an interim basis when Matt Sherratt left to join Wales' coaching team at the start of the 2025-26 season. In his debut campaign, van Zyl guided Cardiff to their first-ever United Rugby Championship play-off place, securing Champions Cup rugby for the upcoming season.
“I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to add Dan as an assistant coach,” said van Zyl. “He’s a top-quality coach, has great experience and is a good person who brings energy. With Matt 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.”
Improving systems and players
Van Zyl emphasised the importance of growth within the coaching group. “We talk a lot about the growth of the team and what we produce on the pitch, but this is an opportunity to grow as coaches and as a coaching group, which will obviously help the overall process. 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 expressed his excitement about the move. “I’m very excited to be joining Cardiff Rugby. 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. I can’t wait to get started.”
Playing career highlights
During his playing days, Bowden represented the Highlanders, Crusaders, and Blues in Super Rugby. He also played for Leicester Tigers and Bath in the English Premiership. His coaching addition joins an existing Cardiff coaching team that includes Gethin Jenkins, Jonny Goodridge, and Scott Andrews.
