Dan McKellar’s ”mutually agreed” split with the Leicester Tigers could prove a godsend for the NSW Waratahs as they hunt a compelling coach to lift them out of the Super Rugby Pacific doldrums.
McKellar, the former Brumbies coach and Wallabies assistant, lasted just one season as Leicester boss, finishing eighth of 10 teams before the Premiership club opted to go in a different direction.
Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is reportedly a leading contender to replace his compatriot at the Tigers while the timing is intriguing from a Waratahs perspective.
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McKellar built a strong Super Rugby record with the Brumbies and NSW are keen to move swiftly in locking up both a coach and a head of performance.
“It would be a great appointment,” Randwick coach Stephen Hoiles, who has also been linked with a Waratahs role, told Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.
“I know the Waratahs are going for a head of performance and a head coach. He’s (McKellar) probably one of the few coaches here that has the skillset to do both – heading up the programme at the Brumbies for such a long time.
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“I think the area that he covers – like his set piece, his scrum, his maul – his record is excellent in Canberra.
“Didn’t finish well at a club in England but they’re a powerful club and there’s probably a fair bit of pressure.”
Morgan Turinui, the former Melbourne Rebels assistant, said McKellar ”would be a wonderful candidate” to coach the Waratahs, who parted ways with Darren Coleman after a wooden spoon season.
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“I’m interested in his mindset,” Turinui said.
“He’s a Queenslander who was so passionate about his time at the Brumbies. The Tahs job for him is not just a job… it’s the enemy for two parts of his life. His emotional attachment to lots of his jobs has been important. It’s just what his top two inches are thinking.”
Another former Wallabies assistant, Scott Wisemantel, has also been linked with the NSW coaching role while Simon Raiwalui and Nick Stiles are reportedly short listed for the high performance job.