Ex-Wallaby coach Connolly answers Reds crisis call

The beleaguered Queensland Reds on Saturday turned to former Wallabies coach John Connolly for help following their humiliating Super Rugby loss to the Canterbury Crusaders this weekend.

The Reds' disastrous season lurched to a new low Friday with their 58-17 capitulation to the mid-table Crusaders in Christchurch.

The club said Connolly, a former Reds coach, will join the coaching staff as a consultant on Monday, ahead of their home game against the Melbourne Rebels next weekend.

Connolly will be contracted to the Reds for the remainder of this year and the 2016 season, the Reds said, and is expected to work with mentor and head coach Richard Graham.

Under Graham the Reds, Super Rugby champions four years ago, have won only two of their 11 games this season.

Connolly, 63, has almost 20 years of experience coaching at the elite level and was coach of the Reds from 1989 to 2000, during which time they won Super Six (1992) and Super 10 (1994, 1995) titles.

He coached in Europe for six years, winning France's top-tier domestic league with Stade Francais and earning European coach of the year honours with Bath.

Connolly also led the Wallabies in 2006 and 2007, including at the Rugby World Cup in France.

"The last two seasons' results have been very disappointing for the team and for all of our fans. It is also simply unacceptable to the organisation," Queensland Rugby CEO Jim Carmichael said in a statement.

"For some time we have been conducting an extensive review of our high performance area to ensure our structures and systems deliver the expected outcomes.

"John's appointment provides an important layer of that support and will also offer further valuable insights to our ongoing review due for completion at the end of the current season."
Source: AFP