Dan McKellar quits Wallabies role to become Leicester head coach
Leicester have appointed Dan McKellar as their new head coach. He will leave his role as Australia assistant coach and start work at the Tigers in July.
It was announced on Wednesday that the 46-year-old had left his role with the Wallabies after two years, leaving Eddie Jones without any coaching staff.
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McKellar will replace the interim coach, Richard Wigglesworth, who took over from Steve Borthwick when he was given the England job in December. He returns to club coaching after a successful four-year stint in charge of the Brumbies in Australian Super Rugby, where he won the competition in 2020.
As a player he made more than 150 senior appearances as a prop for the Souths Rugby Club and spent two seasons with the Queensland Reds, before spending time playing in Ireland and in Scotland towards the end of his career.
McKellar told Leicester’s website: “This has been a big decision for me and my family, to make the move to the other side of the world together, but it is one that we are very much looking forward to doing, to be a part of a club like Leicester.
“There are strong links with the community, with the supporters and knowing I will be a part of game days at Welford Road with 25,000 people in the stands lights a fire for me.
“What else stood out for me was that the club takes great pride in having a very strong academy programme, where we can develop our own players both culturally and from a rugby perspective.
“In the experiences I have had in the northern hemisphere, as part of tours with Australia, I have seen the passion for the game and the genuine love for the game that there is and that is what I want to be involved in.”
Leicester have won just twice in the Premiership since Borthwick left the club, with last season’s champions languishing in eighth.
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The club’s chief executive, Andrea Pinchen, told the club’s website: “We are delighted to be able to confirm Dan McKellar’s appointment to the head coach role at Leicester from next season.”
“This has been a rigorous process, over a period of almost six months, and always been about ensuring that we found the very best coach to lead this club.”