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The Western Force will celebrate its 10th season in Asteron Life Super Rugby by returning one of the club’s favourite sons, Tai McIsaac, to its coaching staff for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons.
The former Wallaby rake, who played 52 consecutive matches for the Force between 2006 and 2009, will return to take up a key coaching role, along with Dwayne Nestor, in the club’s pioneering full-time academy programme, the Future Force, while consulting to the Western Force senior side as a Lineout Consultant.
The return of McIsaac is a reflection on the club’s focus on further growth in 2015, while his ability to provide specialist coaching to the senior squad, provide elite level coaching to the state’s aspiring rugby players and contribute to the talent identification outside of Western Australia will play a key role within the RugbyWA/Western Force rugby programme.
McIsaac, who was the first player to reach 50 caps for the Western Force, joins a Western Force on-field coaching staff that features Michael Foley (Head Coach), Dave Wessels (Senior Assistant Coach), Kevin Foote (Backs/Attack Coach) and Nestor (Kicking & Skills Coach).
The 39-year-old, who has most recently coached at Japanese clubs, Honda Heat and Toyota Industry Shuttles, says he is keen to again be a part of the club he is so passionate about.
“This is a very exciting time to be returning to the Force and I’m honoured to have been provided with this opportunity leading into the club’s 10th season,” he said.
“I had a fantastic time in Japan and I learnt a lot, but this is a particularly exciting time to come back and be involved with the club. Having followed the Force since I’ve been away, this team’s performances were characterised by a determination to play for one another, which is such a cornerstone for any successful side.
“Having spoken to a number of people around the club, it’s inspiring to see the high standards this current group expects of themselves, and that was clearly evident in their performances this year.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for what Foles, Dave, Kevin and Dwayne have achieved at the club, and to be honest, I cannot wait to be involved with the Force again. My wife Penny and I absolutely loved our time in Perth before, and we’re very excited to be returning with our young family again.”
McIsaac says he’s very keen to be involved with developing the Force’s stars of tomorrow through the Future Force programme.
“It’s very exciting to be a part of the first academy of its kind in Australia,” he said.
“Mickey [Arthur] and Dwayne have put a lot of work into establishing this very professional programme and it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to bring through the next generation of Western Force players.
“It’s terrific for the club to be thinking outside the square to bolster the playing ranks in WA, and particularly pleasing to see an emphasis placed on producing quality people, as well as players through this programme.”
Western Force Head Coach, Michael Foley says McIsaac is a key addition to the coaching staff.
“It’s great to have Tai back at the club,” he said. “Having coached and known Tai over a number years, he’s an outstanding team man. He’s very humble and hard-working, he’s passionate about the Force and earning respect means a great deal to him.
“Getting quality ball from set piece provides an integral platform from which to play, and having Tai focusing on our lineout will help us develop that area of our game further.”
The Western Force will commence pre-season training on Monday, 1 December.
Click here to make a tax deductible donation to the Future Force Foundation through the Australian Sports Foundation.
Profile
Name: Tai McIsaac
Born: 19/3/1975, Brisbane
Position: Hooker
Super Rugby caps: 69 (17 Reds, 52 Force)
Super Rugby points: 0
Super Rugby debut: 2003 (Reds) v Crusaders, Christchurch
Test caps: 8
Test points: 0
Test debut: 2006 v England, Sydney
Representative Rugby: 2006-2009 Western Force, 2006 Wallabies, 2003-2008 Australia A, 2003-2005 Queensland Reds
Coaching Career: 2011-2014 Toyota Industry Shuttles (Japan), 2009-2010 Honda Heat (Japan)
- See more at: http://www.westernforce.com.au/artic....lVXKbviV.dpuf
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