Former Ireland head coach Declan Kidney and ex-Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss have taken the reins of Aviva Premiership strugglers London Irish with immediate effect.
Kidney will operate as the club’s technical consultant while Kiss has been appointed as head coach.
The Exiles currently sit 12 points behind Worcester at the bottom of the Premiership table and face certain relegation to the Championship unless Kidney and Kiss can immediately reverse their fortunes.
A club statement said that Kidney and Kiss have been appointed on three-year contracts that remain in place regardless of whether London Irish are in the Aviva Premiership or the Greene King IPA Championship in 2018/19.
The pair previously worked together with Ireland between 2008 and 2013 where Kiss served as an assistant under Kidney.
Mick Crossan, London Irish’s president and majority shareholder, said that he hopes Kidney will help bring a winning mentality to the club.
“We’re as ambitious as every other club in the Aviva Premiership, and in order to achieve the objectives we have set for the club we need to make changes in the coaching structure to give us the best chance for success,” said Mick Crossan, London Irish’s president and majority shareholder.
“The current coaches under Brendan Venter, who has occupied a part-time technical director role with the club since summer 2016, have worked very hard to consolidate our position in the Aviva Premiership following promotion last year, but it is fair to say that things haven’t gone to plan.
“Our young coaching team under Nick Kennedy have worked tirelessly and have built a great team spirit, despite the disappointing run of league results that followed the opening day victory over Harlequins at Twickenham in the London Double Header.
“We feel that the time is now right to bring in someone to replace Brendan and to work with the current coaches to give us a new direction. Declan will bring a winning mentality to London Irish, something he has shown over a number of years by winning the Heineken Cup twice with Munster and the Grand Slam with Ireland, which he achieved working with Les Kiss as his assistant coach in 2009.”
Kidney’s appointment means that the club’s technical director Brendan Venter has been released of his contract with immediate effect.
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