Former Queensland and Scotland assistant Matt Taylor joins Wallabies coaching staff
Former Queensland assistant Matt Taylor has answered Dave Rennie’s call to arms as the new Wallabies coach locks in his final piece of Australia’s new-look staff.
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Update: Former Queensland and Scotland assistant Matt Taylor has been formally appointed as the Wallabies’ new defence coach, triggering an unexpected change at the Waratahs in the post World Cup merry-go-round.
Within hours of Rugby Australia announcing Taylor has signed a four-year-deal through to the 2023 World Cup in France, the Waratahs revealed that highly-rated Welsh defensive coach Steve Tandy was leaving Sydney to take up the vacant role as Scotland’s new defensive coach.
“It’s a great opportunity for Steve and his family and while we’re disappointed to lose someone of his quality, it’s not something we ever wanted to stand in the way of,” the Waratahs general manager Tim Rapp said.
Taylor, 47, replaces Nathan Grey as Australia’s new defensive boss as the Wallabies begin rebuilding after the disastrous campaign in Japan.
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Grey has been given a new role as national high-performance coach, working with the Junior Wallabies, Wallaroos and national age group squads, but was replaced as senior defensive coach as part of a major clean out ordered by Scott Johnson, Rugby Australia’s Director of Rugby.
Taylor will join newly appointed attack coach Scott Wisemantel in working with new head coach Dave Rennie after all three men were lured back from Britain. Wisemantel, one of Eddie Jones’s most trusted lieutenants in helping England reach the World Cup final in Yokohama, was the most recent signing.
“As I said at the start of this process, we wanted a strong Australian flavor and we’d do everything in our power to make sure we get what we think is a quality coaching group for the Wallabies,” Johnson said.
Taylor was the defensive mastermind when the Queensland Reds won the Super Rugby title in 2011 before heading overseas to successfully ply his trade.
He helped Glasgow Warriors win the Pro12 title in 2015 and oversaw Scotland’s back-to-back wins over the Wallabies in 2017.
“After eight years of coaching in Europe I feel I have learnt a great deal, and I am looking forward to returning to Australia to help develop the exciting talent coming through the Australian ranks,” Taylor said.
“The great Australian teams of the past have delivered a distinct style of play – they have been tough, competitive, and smart on both sides of the ball. I’m motivated to play my part in building a strong defensive team moving forward.”
With Rennie not returning to Australia until mid year, Taylor plans to get a head start by visiting each of Australia’s four Super Rugby teams early in the new year to see how they are preparing and developing their players for the new season with the Wallabies set to play a hefty 14 tests in 2020.
The next role the Wallabies will sort out will be the forwards coach. Simon Raiwalui was given the job under Michael Cheika until the end of 2019 but Rennie is understood to want a change, with former Reds coach Nick Stiles looming as one of the chief contenders.
The Waratahs, who recently appointed Rob Penney as the new head coach, said they would wait before making a decision on who would replace Tandy.