The Waratahs have confirmed their coaching team for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season with the announcement of Dan McKellar’s assistant coaches. McKellar returns to Australia after a season in the northern hemisphere with Leicester Tigers, signing a three-year contract with the ‘Tahs following the addition of Simon Raiwalui as Director of High Performance. The former Tigers and Brumbies head coach will be ably assisted by former England centre and ex-Ireland attack coach Mike Catt OBE, former prop Dan Palmer and ex-Waratahs and Brumbies flanker Lachlan McCaffrey. The 2003 Rugby World Cup winning centre has built a reputation as one of the best attack coaches in the game following his stints with London Irish, England, Italy, and most recently Ireland. The 75 Test cap former England star is joined in the coaching team by Palmer who links up with McKellar once again as the pair worked together at the Brumbies and Leicester Tigers. Palmer has also coached Australia A after a stint with Suntory in Japan and his main focus will be the set-piece having previously worked as a lineout and scrum coach. Meanwhile, McCaffrey will take charge of the Waratahs’ defence in his first Super Rugby coaching role having been an assistant coach for New Zealand NPC side Otago and the head coach for the Gungahlin Eagles. The Waratahs high performance team has also been restructured, with former Tahs centre Tom Carter taking over as head of athletic performance after overseeing the athletic performance program for the hugely-successful Australian women's sevens team for the last five years. All coaching and high performance staff have signed on for at least three years. The new additions to the coaching team mean that Chris Whitaker and Pauli Taumoepeau have both left the club along with Head of Athletic Performance Nick Lumley, Team Manager Will Stuart, and physiotherapists Cam Dyer and Alan Robinson. The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific wooden spooners’ coaching appointments follow a series of player signings over the past week, including the snaring of Wallabies trio Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota and Darby Lancaster.
Samantha Wilson
Sports Analyst
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