On Wednesday night, the Irish Independent reported that former Western Force head coach David Wessels was set to be confirmed as Munster boss after weeks of speculation, but tonight the media in Australia are reporting something very different.
Wessels did interview for the role at Munster as he is close to Rassie Erasmus and was considered to be an ideal replacement for the man who is returning to work for the South African Rugby Union as director of rugby in December.
However, The Sydney Morning Herald have tonight (today for them) confirmed that Wessels will instead take the head coaching job at Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels which will be officially confirmed on Friday.
Dave Wessels will be announced as head coach of the Melbourne Rebels on Friday despite Irish reports suggesting he was headed overseas to join Pro14 club Munster.
Wessels, who was head coach at the Western Force for a season before they were cut from Super Rugby, has inked a two-year deal at Melbourne in what is a major boost for Australian rugby.
In a statement released shortly after the news broke, Wessels confirmed that 'unfinished business' in Super Rugby was his main reason behind rejecting Munster and choosing to stay in Australia.
For me, the decision was driven by a strong feeling of unfinished business in Super Rugby. I'm very passionate about rugby and the game in this country has provided me with the opportunity to fulfil my dream to coach professionally. Part of repaying this faith is realising the success that I know we're capable of.
This is a set-back for Munster as clearly they were high on Wessels, who impressed with the job he did in taking the Rebels from one of the worst teams in Super Rugby to one of the strongest, but the show must go on, and it's a case of scratching one off the list and moving on to the next one.
[via www.smh.co.au]
