In a dramatic turn of events, Dan McKellar is set to be announced as the Waratahs’ next head coach.
The Roar can reveal the respected former Wallabies assistant, who “mutually” parted ways with Leicester after one year in charge of the English heavyweights late last month, will be the man to replace Darren Coleman.
While Scott Wisemantel emerged as the front-runner in recent weeks, McKellar’s sudden departure from Leicester proved to be a game-changer.
Even last week Wisemantel, the world-class assistant coach with two decades of international experience, was thought to be at the top of the NSW hit list.
But a change in the wind occurred late last week and McKellar appears to have won out, with the NSW board itchy to announce a head coach, on the back of Simon Raiwalui’s appointment as director of rugby, to ensure they’re still in the hunt to sign players next season.
Dan McKellar is set to be announced as the Waratahs’ new head coach just weeks after “mutually” parting ways from Leicester. (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images) (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
In recent weeks McKellar has stepped up his recruitment drive, checking in on who is available and a free agent.
His first priority will be ensuring he has a tight-five who can compete in Super Rugby, with Taniela Tupou reluctantly set to move to Sydney.
Whether he can convince Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Rob Leota to reconsider their desire to move to Ballymore remains to be seen. But at least the Wallabies duo know that McKellar will be in Sydney.
Locking down the likes of emerging halves Tane Edmed and Teddy Wilson will also be crucial.
After working together at the Wallabies, Dan McKellar (R) is likely to help Taniela Tupou’s expected move to the Waratahs from the Rebels. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
McKellar will return to Super Rugby with years of head coaching experience at top-flight professional rugby.
The Waratahs had gambled on their three head coaches since Michael Cheika’s departure in 2015 – Daryl Gibson, Rob Penney and Coleman – and none of them had been able to consistently win.
Gibson, the respected assistant coach who worked well with Cheika, failed to make the transition to head coaching well and struggled outside of leading the Waratahs to the semi-finals in 2018.
Penney, who was a surprise appointment at the end of 2019, was sacked early in his second season.
Coleman, meanwhile, started brightly with his rebuild, but quickly the wheels started to fall off as injuries and narrow losses added up.
McKellar will arrive at Daceyville undeterred by his brief stint at Welford Road.
Although Leicester missed the finals and were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Leinster, McKellar will have gained valuable experience of working with some of the biggest names in rugby including Handre Pollard, Julian Montoya, Ben Youngs, Freddie Steward and Dan Cole.
One of his shortfalls was working Leicester too hard, especially off the back of a World Cup campaign where he was without several of his stars for the first quarter of the competition, with the grueling nine-month competition a stark difference to the Super Rugby sprint.
That won’t be an issue with the Waratahs, who are desperate for leadership and a strong mentor with proven experience.
Dan McKellar will be tasked with leading the Waratahs up the Super Rugby rankings. (Photo by Luis Veniegra/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
McKellar oversaw the Brumbies’ rebuild in 2018, taking the Australian Super Rugby side to semi-finals in 2019 and 2022. He also took them to the Super Rugby AU title in 2020.
But it was his ability to develop a pack at the Brumbies, luring James Slipper south as well as Cadeyrn Neville, and ensuring Nick Frost didn’t head to Japan, which showcased his understanding of what’s required to compete in Super Rugby.
He also brought through and developed Wallabies Noah Lolesio and Len Ikitau.
That player development and the ability to develop a strong no-frills culture will be required at the Waratahs.
After all, just three Waratahs were named in Joe Schmidt’s maiden Wallabies 38-man squad – an alarmingly low number given the resources available to the Super Rugby franchise at their new headquarters in Sydney’s south-east.