[ad_1]
DUBLIN, June 15 (Reuters) – Stephen Larkham, who was fired by the Wallabies earlier this year, has been appointed head coach of Johann van Graan in Munster, the Irish province said.
The former Australian flyweight, winner of the World Cup in 1999, won the bad luck of a miserable 2018 for the Wallabies and was relieved of his coaching duties by Michael Cheika.
Formerly considered Cheika's elected successor, Larkham now follows the path set by his former boss, winner of the Coupe de Europe with Leinster, en route to the leading position.
"We are very pleased to add Stephen to our coaching team and look forward to welcoming him to the province in August," said Philip Quinn, Acting Managing Director of Munster.
"Stephen is a very successful coach who has received offers from other clubs, so we are delighted that he has decided to join Munster."
Larkham, who coached the ACT Brumbies at Super Rugby before joining the national organization, said he was "very excited and honored" to sign the three-year contract.
"I've had several conversations with Johann and I'm very happy to work with him because our views on rugby are very similar," he said in a press release.
Scott Johnson, Australian rugby director at Rugby Australia, wished good luck to Larkham and suggested the Wallabies one day benefit from the experience gained in Europe.
"Stephen has made the decision to join Munster in full consultation with us and we will remain in close contact with him during his stay in Ireland," he said.
"We believe that the experience that Stephen will gain from an international leadership position will significantly increase his coaching capabilities and we sincerely hope that he will continue to be part of the system. of Australian rugby training.
"He has made it clear that his ultimate goal was to coach the Wallabies and that the next three years will give him a solid foundation for realizing his coaching ambitions." (Report by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, edited by Sudipto Ganguly)
Source link
