THE BRUMBIES HAVE confirmed that Laurie Fisher will leave his role as the club’s Director of Rugby at the end of the season, with the Australian expected to join Gloucester as head coach.
With David Humphreys installed as Director of Rugby at Kingsholm, the Premiership club have been active in recruiting coaching staff ahead of the 2014/15 campaign. Fisher is seen as the ideal candidate to lead the training ground efforts.
Fisher had a three-year spell with Munster as forwards coach between 2008 and 2011, where his technical expertise was highly appreciated. The 55-year-old arrived in Ireland after a first stint as head coach of the Brumbies, having previously worked as forwards coach at the Super Rugby side under David Nucifora.
After leaving Munster, Fisher returned to the Canberra-based franchise, where he brought about notable improvements alongside Jake White and Stephen Larkham, culminating in reaching the 2013 Super Rugby final.
While no official confirmation of the signature has come from Gloucester yet – the club will “issue a statement when an appointment is made” – it is believed that only formalities and a working visa remain to be organised. The Brumbies have stated that Fisher is leaving Super Rugby “to pursue opportunities in Europe.”
Ulsterman Humphreys has already appointed Nick Walshe as backs and attack coach at Kingsholm, while the highly-respected Nick Muggleton has joined as defence coach.
Walshe recently led the England U20s to the Junior World Championship in New Zealand, their second consecutive title in that competition under the coaching of the former international scrum-half.
Muggleton is an ex-Australian rugby league international, who moved into union after retiring from playing. His time as defence coach of the Wallabies saw them claim the 1999 World Cup and the 2001 Test series against the Lions.
These impressive appointments are exactly why Gloucester recruited 72-times capped former Ireland out-half Humphreys as Director of Rugby, with his network of contacts and positive reputation within the game already proving valuable.
The expected appointment of Fisher, a genuine student of the sport, would be another sign of the progress Humphreys hopes to bring at Gloucester ahead of his first season in charge of the club.
