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Gary Gold has been recruited as USA Head Coach, USA Rugby has confirmed. The South African will take charge of the Men’s Eagles, joining from Aviva Premiership club the Worcester Warriors.
Gold takes up the position on the back of a vast coaching career covering almost two decades. His first high-profile position was as Forwards Coach with London Irish in the English Premiership beginning in 2001, taking over as Head Coach when Brendan Venter departed two years later. In 2005 Gold returned to Cape Town to become Forwards Coach with Western Province, and as he had at Irish moved up to the Head Coach position after two seasons.
Just a year into that role he was recruited by former South Africa Head Coach Peter de Villiers to be an assistant with the Springboks. He remained with the national side through a successful series against the British & Irish Lions in 2009 and the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Shortly after he would return to the Premiership with Newcastle Falcons, joining mid-season in an attempt to stave off relegation. Though the Falcons ultimately fell by a single point, his efforts were seen as commendable and it earned him a Head Coach position at Bath the following year.
After one season his role was re-defined and he was made Director of Rugby, but a fallout with Bath owner Bruce Craig saw him leave the club in December 2013. After a stint as a television pundit he moved to Super Rugby as Director of Rugby at the Sharks in October 2014. Two seasons later he would be on the move again in another mid-season Premiership recovery role, this time successfully steering Worcester Warriors away from the drop.
USA Rugby CEO Dan Payne commented on the appointment:
“We are very fortunate to have recruited an individual with Gary’s experience, commitment and values. Myself and our hiring panel were more than just impressed with his rugby history. We saw a sincerity and skill set in Gary that fits perfectly with how we want this position to contribute toward the growth of rugby in America. Developing players, coaches and contributing toward grassroots growth were all areas that enthused Gary when we described the expectations of this role. We’re very happy with the result.”
The hiring and review committee included USA Rugby High Performance General Manager Alex Magleby, former Eagles captain Chris Wyles, and former Eagles captain and current General Manager Dave Hodges. Gold remains under contract with the Worcester Warriors until the completion of the 2017-2018 Aviva Premiership season. He is to remain at the club to fulfil his contractual obligations before he begins his new role.
