Unwanted Western Force coach Tim Sampson is back in the Super Rugby Pacific fold after signing on with the Melbourne Rebels as an assistant.
Sampson spent five years as Force coach before the Perth club decided to change direction with the appointment of New Zealander Simon Cron for 2023 and beyond.
Sampson will run the club’s attack under coach Kevin Foote while former England lock Geoff Parling remains in charge of the forwards.
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Sampson replaces Ryan Martin, who is now working with Toyota Verblitz in Japan.
“I know Tim will come in and complement the core coaching group that returns from the 2022 season,” Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson said.
“It was a thorough process we worked through in collaboration with Rugby Australia’s high performance department to secure Tim.
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“Looking at the bigger picture for our code, we must keep smart, talented people in Australian rugby, so we are excited to bring Tim to AAMI Park.”
The Force and the Rebels both missed the 2022 finals after finishing with 4-10 records.
In other Super Rugby news on Wednesday, the NSW Waratahs announced the signing of Glasgow Warriors prop Tom Lambert on a two-year deal.
The former Australian schoolboys representative moved to Scotland in 2020.
“Tom is a good young prop that came through the NSW pathways and has furthered his rugby development abroad,” Waratahs coach Darren Coleman said.
“He’s had two good years in a strong professional program in Glasgow and will add valuable depth to our front row stock, particularly on the loosehead side where Angus Bell carried a lot of the load last year.
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“We’ve been impressed with the impact that Lambert has been making for Sydney Uni in the Shute Shield since arriving back and we’re looking forward to him developing further in our program.”
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