Scott Johnson to leave role as RA director of rugby

Rugby Australia have announced that Scott Johnson will step down as their director of rugby when his contract expires at the end of the year.

The former Scotland boss was appointed to the position in December 2018 to head up the Wallabies set-up and aid head coach Michael Cheika.

Johnson also became a selector for the national team in 2019 and played a big part in bringing current head honcho Dave Rennie to Australia.

A difficult time

“He stepped into his role at a difficult time within Australian rugby and has played an important role at an important time for the game in Australia,” CEO Marinos said in a statement.

“We have commenced a process that is reviewing our high performance-programme to drive a high performing environment to deliver sustainable success for all of our teams.”

Johnson added: “It’s been a great personal privilege to serve in this role over the last three years. The game has evolved rapidly over the last few years, especially through Covid, and it’s time for that next evolution in 2022 and beyond.

“I want to thank Andy, Dave (Rennie) and the team at RA, as well as each of the Australian Super Rugby sides, for their spirit of cooperation over the last three years.

“I am confident that everyone is on the same page to drive forward into this new era to enable future success.”

RA have also confirmed that Sevens head coaches have swapped positions, with Tim Walsh taking over the women’s team and John Manenti leading the men’s squad.

“After careful consideration, we felt they were the best two coaches to lead the respective programs forward into the future,” Marinos added.

“They both have a lot to offer and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do over the next three years as we prepare not only for the Commonwealth Games and Sevens World Cup later this year but also the Olympics in Paris in 2024.”