Andy Friend punted from Aussie mens seven coaching role; Rio gold medal women’s coach Tim Walsh to take over for Tokyo run
AUSTRALIAN womens sevens coach Tim Walsh is set to take the men’s team to the Tokyo Olympics after current coach Andy Friend was told he’ll be out of a job in July.
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AUSTRALIAN womens sevens coach Tim Walsh is set to take the men’s team to the Tokyo Olympics after current coach Andy Friend was told he’ll be out of a job in July.
With awkward timing just a month out of the Commonwealth Games, Rugby Australia announced on Friday that Friend’s contract as coach of the Aussie men’s sevens program would not be renewed.
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RA flagged the announcement of the new men’s boss on Monday and it is understood that will be Walsh, who steered the Aussie womens team to Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.
Walsh revealed in January he would be stepping down as women’s coach after the Commonwealth Games and later told the Daily Telegraph he aspired to coach the Aussie mens team.
Though Friend is highly regarded by his players — and appeared to have shored up his future by taking the Aussie men to victory in the Sydney Sevens — RA high performance boss Ben Whitaker said an interview process had still unearthed a better candidate.
Friend told the Daily Telegraph on Friday night he was disappointed but “extremely comfortable” with the vision he’d presented to RA, and the work of his two years in the job.
“I felt we were on the right path and I felt we were building something that was not only getting success on the field, but off the field too,” Friend said.
“I see real growth and development as individuals and as a squad. I will remain forever very proud of what I have done, and what we have done as a group.
“The reasoning was whoever the successful candidate is, they presented the better vision heading to Tokyo.”
Friend took over the men’s sevens coaching job from Geraint John in 2016, and after a disappointing Rio campaign, rebuilt a young squad with the likes of Lachie Anderson, Tim Anstee, Ben O’Donnell and Maurice Longbottom.
Friend has been offered a yet-to-be specified role in RA, likely still in sevens.
“That’s the nature of the sport we are in,” Friend said.
“I did seek an early response from Rugby Australia because I wanted to get some clarity on where I sat.
“The response was obviously not what I wanted but my message to the team was ‘listen it’s not what I wanted but it doesn’t change my desire to see out the contract and do the things we want to do” which is to go on and win a Comm Games and a World Cup.
“These things can be a distraction but my view is this group, they’re strong, they’re a tough group. Mentally they go through a lot so they’re adaptable to whatever is thrown at them.
“My message to them is that this is same, it’s just another little hurdle. We will leap over it on Monday and get on achieving our goal of winning a gold medal.”