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The Major League Rugby off-season has claimed its latest Head Coach victim. Alf Daniels was today confirmed to be departing the Utah Warriors after two seasons in charge. He is the third coach relieved of duty following the in-season change at Houston and Glendale’s axing of Dave Williams.
It’s a change that many expected following Utah’s disappointing season that saw the Warriors finish in second-to-last place, winning just 2 of 16 games. It was a step down from the 2018 campaign that saw the team sneak into the Semi Finals with a 3-5 record. Across the two seasons, Utah’s record with Daniels in charge was 5-18-2.
Daniels isn’t the only coach on his way out from Utah. Former Scotland hooker Stevie Scott was in charge of the forwards this season. He leaves after just one campaign though the club has clarified it is a personal decision for family reasons. James Semple acted as player-coach involved with the backs. He will stay on for 2020.
Current Warriors CEO and General Manager Kimball Kjar has announced further structural changes to the club. A new Director of Rugby will take over the GM duties from Kjar and oversee the rugby department with the new Head Coach to report to the DoR.
In a formal release, Kjar says changes were necessary to keep pace with the rapidly-expanding league.
“It’s with remorse that Alf Daniels and I have concluded that for the best interests of the team that we part ways with Alf as Head Coach of the Utah Warriors. Alf was the only candidate I interviewed that came into this role with his shovel ready and sleeves rolled and ready to work in building the foundation of the Warriors. The entire organization, including myself, will forever be grateful for the efforts, sacrifice, and commitment that Alf gave to this team, the players and our great fans.
“With the MLR growing at the pace that it is, it’s important for us to push our abilities to not only keep up but to eventually and consistently outpace our competition in all areas on and off the field. As such, strategically it’s important for the team to bring in a new driver of our team culture and the overall management of player personnel and the coaching staff.”
