Leicester head coach McKellar leaves by mutual consent

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Head coach Dan McKellar has departed Leicester Tigers by mutual consent after just one season leading the Premiership club.

The 47-year-old, formerly in charge at ACT Brumbies, had resigned as Australia forwards coach to assume the position at Leicester. He had joined on a “long-term deal” as the permanent successor to Steve Borthwick, who had moved on to become England coach.

Despite initial optimism, the Tigers experienced a disappointing season, finishing eighth in the Premiership, 11 points adrift of a playoff berth. Additionally, they were eliminated by Leinster in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup and suffered defeat to Gloucester in the Premiership Cup final.

It’s understood that former Australia and Argentina head coach Michael Cheika is among those being considered to succeed McKellar.

In a statement, Leicester said McKellar’s departure had been agreed “following extensive discussions regarding the club’s future direction”.

The club added that they had begun their search for a new head coach, with pre-season for players not on international duty set to start on 1 July.

Speaking in May, McKellar told BBC Radio Leicester that he would “adapt and learn” after admitting that he was “really disappointed” by Leicester’s campaign.

“I knew coming here that it is a very different competition to Super Rugby, so we had to train and I had to make sure my approach was what was required for this group and this competition,” he said.

“But we haven’t got that right – we have fallen away at the back end of games when we should be storming home.”

After winning eight of 11 games before the break for Six Nations, Tigers fell away once the season resumed, losing six of their last eight matches in all competitions.