McKellar guides Brumbies to AU Grand Final win

THE Brumbies defeated the Reds in the Super Rugby AU Grand Final on Saturday under the guidance of former Wicklow RFC head man Dan McKellar.

The Australian coached Wicklow during two different one year spells in the noughties, firstly as player/coach than as Head Coach. It was successful period for the club where they were promoted to Division 1 of the Leinster League. McKellar would go on to achieve many other accolades in his coaching career.

In 2018 he became the ACT Brumbies Head Coach, one of the most decorated clubs in the southern hemisphere, club legends include former Australian internationals like George Gregan, Matt Giteau and Sterling Mortlock to name a few. Super Rugby AU was a one off tournament created because of the currant COVID-19 pandemic. It included only the five Australian Teams Brumbies, Red, Waratahs, Rebels and the Western Force. Traditionally, they would play in the Super Rugby competition which included teams from New Zealand, South Africa and one team from both Argentina and Japan, but because of travel restrictions the usually format could not be facilitated.

The Brumbies would finish top of the table after 10 round of fixtures, winning 6 out of their 8 games in the group stage. They automatically qualified for the Grand Final where they saw off the challenge of the Queensland Reds winning 28-23, a first bit of silverware under Dan McKellar who has already been linked to a role in the Australian National team setup. His recent success will only strengthen his future prospects. A successful coaching journey that Wicklow RFC were happy to play a small part in.