Mick Byrne (Australian footballer and rugby union coach)

Last updated

Mick Byrne
Mick Byrne 2023.png
Birth nameMichael Byrne
Date of birth (1958-12-02) 2 December 1958 (age 65)
Height200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
School St Paul's College, Manly
Rugby union career
Coaching career
YearsTeam
2002–2005 Scotland (Skills coach)
2004–2005 Saracens (Skills coach)
2004–2005 New Zealand (Skills coach)
2009–2011 Japan (Assist. Coach)
2012–2014 Auckland Blues (Assist. Coach)
2016–2019 Australia (Assist. Coach)
2020 Austin Gilgronis (Director of Rugby)
2021 Canada women's sevens (Interim Head Coach)
2021–2024 Fijian Drua (Head Coach)
2024– Fiji (Head Coach)
Australian rules football career
Personal information
Original team(s) North Shore (Sydney)
Height 200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 86 kg (190 lb)
Position(s) Ruckman
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1977–1982 Melbourne 056 0(41)
1982–1986 Hawthorn 090 0(97)
1987–1989 Sydney Swans 021 0(12)
Total167 (150)
Representative team honours
YearsTeamGames (Goals)
1988 New South Wales
Coaching career
YearsClubGames (W–L–D)
1991–1993 Sydney (Assistant Coach)
1994–1997 North Shore
1998–2001 NSW-ES Bulldogs
1998–2001 NSW State of Origin
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1989.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Michael Byrne (born 2 December 1958), nicknamed Mick the Kick, [1] is a former Australian rules footballer and now rugby union coach, whom specialises in kicking and team skills. Byrne played with Melbourne, Hawthorn and Sydney in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1977 to 1989. He also coached his junior side in 1994–95. After a career in AFL spanning almost thirty years, Byrne now coaches fully in rugby union, is currently the head coach of the Fijian national side.

Contents

AFL Career

A 200 cm tall ruckman, Byrne started his career at Melbourne in 1977 and one game into his sixth season with the club decided to cross to Hawthorn. Byrne kicked 8 goals straight in his debut game for the Hawks against Footscray in 1982. He finished the year with 47 goals. In 1983, Byrne finished equal fifth in the Brownlow Medal and was a member of Hawthorn's premiership side, kicking three goals in the Grand Final.

He holds the Hawthorn record for the most behinds in a VFL/AFL game without a goal, after kicking 0.8 in a game against Melbourne in 1985. In the history of the league, only Stuart Spencer and Tom Allen are known to have kicked more behinds without a goal (11). [2] [3] [4]

Byrne moved to Sydney in 1987, playing 21 games for the Swans before his retirement at the end of the 1989 VFL season. In all Byrne played 167 league games and kicked 150 goals.

After resting, Byrne turned to coaching, first in an assistant role for the Swans (the club he last played for), before stepping up as head coach for North Shore in 1994. In 1998 he became head coach of University side Bulldogs in New South Wales where he remained until 2001 before a change of codes saw Byre become more active in rugby union.

Rugby union coaching

Early years

Byrne's career in rugby union first began in 1998, where whilst still coaching AFL, he joined the Brumbies as a part-time consultant, which later led to Byrne joining the Wallabies as a kicking coaching in the build up to the World Cup winning campaign in 1999.

In 2001, he left Australia with he took up various consultancy stints; firstly South Africa in 2001, before heading to Europe in 2002 to take on a Skills based role with the Scottish national team between 2002 and 2005. [5] During that he also worked along side Matt Williams at Leinster Rugby Club on a part time basis through out the 2002–03 season. [1] In 2003, Byrne, as well as Williams, left Leinster to focus solely Scotland [1]

His consultancy also took Byrne to England, where for a season, he consulted for Rod Kafer at Saracens until Kafer left his post half way through the 2004/2005 season.

New Zealand, Australia

In May 2005, Byrne left Scotland following an appointment by New Zealand as a skills and kicking coach, [6] which saw him in the role for over a decade. During his tenure as specialty coach of New Zealand, Byrne won two Rugby World Cups (2011, 2015), eight Tri Nations / Rugby Championship trophies (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) and a British and Irish Lions tour (2005).

Along side his duties in New Zealand, Byrne was also released to help develop the then emerging Japanese side, helping them to 2011 Rugby World Cup qualification, 3 consecutive Asian Cup titles (2009–2011), and their first ever Pacific Nations Cup title in 2011.

After winning the World Cup in 2011 with the All Blacks, Byrne became involved with Auckland-based Super Rugby team the Blues whilst simultaneously remaining inside the All Blacks coaching team, and occasionally consulted with the Canadian women's sevens team between 2013 and 2016. [7] When Byrne left New Zealand in December 2015, [6] the team had accrued a win percentage above eighty-seven percent and is often praised as having deep involvement in building the "All Blacks Empire". [8]

Several months after leaving New Zealand with a desire to be closer to his family in Brisbane, Queensland, Byrne was hired as a skills coach for the Wallabies (July 2016) on a four-year contract, [1] [9] [10] working alongside coach Michael Cheika. Unfortunately, during his four years with the Wallabies, the team failed to win a single major trophy. However, did win the Mandela Challenge Plate (2016, 2017, 2018), the Puma Trophy (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), the James Bevan Trophy (2016, 2017), the Hopetoun Cup (2016) and the Trophée des Bicentenaires (2016). Byrne was with the Wallabies from July 2016 to March 2020. [10] [11]

Record of national team during tenure as Skills Coach
TeamSpanPlayedWonDrawnLostWin %
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand May 2005 – December 2015, 10 years, 7 months14612821687.67%
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia July 2016 – March 2020, 3 years, 8 months492322446.94%

Post Australia and New Zealand

Following the 2019 Rugby World Cup and Byrnes departure from the Wallabies national set-up, Byrne took up a post with newly formed Major League Rugby side Austin Gilgronis in the USA. [12] However, his stint as Director of Rugby was cut short, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February 2021, Byrne was named interim head coach of the Canadian Women's 7s team, which would see him take the side to the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, [13] where his side only managed to earn one victory and failed to pass into the medal stage of the tournament.

Fiji

On 24 September 2021, Byrne was announced as the head coach of the Fijian Drua ahead there first season in the Super Rugby (2022). [14] [15] [16] It is the first role Byrne has had as a head coach of a major professional team.

In his first season in charge, the Drua only managed to win two games, coming against fellow Pacific team Moana Pasifika and Australian side Melbourne Rebels. However, by the second season in charge in 2023, Byrne managed to turn the team around to be more consistent, making the play-off for the first time with six victories; including a win over the defending, and later defended, champions Crusaders.

After a successful 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign for the Fijian national side, hype grew for the Drua in the Super Rugby, where for a second season in a row, the Drua progressed to the play-offs, only to fall in the quarter-finals again like in 2023.

Byrne's success saw his name be considered for the vacant Flying Fijian head coaching role, and in April 2024, Byrne was confirmed as head coach of Fiji. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia national rugby union team</span>

The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Burke (rugby union, born 1973)</span> Rugby player

Matthew Coleman Burke is an Australian former international rugby union player and sport presenter on Sydney's 10 News First.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Jones (rugby union)</span> Australian rugby union coach and former player

Edward Jones is an Australian rugby union coach and former player. He most recently coached the Australia national team from January until October 2023. He previously coached Australia, Japan and England. He returned to the role of Japan head coach in January 2024.

Peter Knights is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After retiring as a player, he was appointed the inaugural coach of the Brisbane Bears and later returned to coach Hawthorn during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Longmire</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1970

John Longmire is the current coach of the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 2010, and is the longest serving active AFL coach. As a player, he represented the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1999.

Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berrick Barnes</span> Australia international rugby union & league footballer

Berrick Steven Barnes is a former Australian professional rugby union footballer. His usual position is fly-half or inside centre. He is previously played with Japanese Top League clubs Panasonic Wild Knights and the Ricoh Black Rams, as well as in the Super Rugby competition with the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds. He also played for the Wallabies in international matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cheika</span> Australian rugby coach and former player

Michael Cheika is an Australian professional dual-code rugby coach and former player who was coaching the Argentina national team between 2022-2024. Is currently the Leicester Tigers Head Coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosese Rauluni</span> Fiji international rugby union player

Mosese Nasau Rauluni is a retired Fijian rugby union footballer. He usually plays at scrum half, and played for Saracens in the Guinness Premiership in England. He has played for Fiji, including captaining them. He is the younger brother of Jacob Rauluni and first cousin of Waisale Serevi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Mitchell (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football coach and former player who is the current coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Newman (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Christopher Newman is the coach of the Box Hill Hawks in the Victorian Football League and a former player with the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted at pick 55 in the 2000 national draft from the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup. Newman grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren where his neighbour and childhood friend was former AFL player Brendan Fevola. Newman led Box Hill to a VFL premiership in 2018 and formerly served as an assistant coach at Hawthorn in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia A national rugby union team</span> Rugby team

Australia A is the second national Rugby union team of Australia, behind the Wallabies. Matches played under the 'Australia A' title are traditionally non-test match fixtures and often offer a stepping-stone to Wallaby national selection. Aspiring Wallaby players were given a chance to impress selectors during these games. In the past, the team would also play touring sides, such as the British & Irish Lions, or play mid-week games when the Wallabies are on tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurtley Beale</span> Rugby player

Kurtley James Beale is an Australian professional rugby union representative player who has made over 90 national representative appearances in a ten-year playing career at the world-class level. He is of Aboriginal descent, has had a long Super Rugby career with the New South Wales Waratahs and has played for the Melbourne Rebels and the Wasps club in England. Beale usually plays at full-back or centre but can play fly-half or winger. In 2011 Beale received the John Eales Medal, awarded to Australian rugby's Player of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben McGlynn</span> Australian rules footballer

Ben McGlynn is an Australian rules football coach and former player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League. He is currently an assistant coach at the St Kilda Football Club.

The 1976 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1976. It was the 79th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1976 VFL season. The match, attended by 110,143 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 30 points, marking that club's third premiership victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Foley</span> Australian rugby player of Irish descent

Bernard Foley is an Australian rugby player of Irish descent. He plays professionally for the Australia national rugby team and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He can cover both fullback and fly-half as well as inside centre. Foley has earned the nickname "the iceman" after successful game winning penalty goals, 2 August 2014, 18 October 2015.

Dave Rennie is a New Zealand and Cook Islands professional rugby union coach and former player. He will take over the Kobe Steelers as head coach for the 2023-24 season. He previously was the head coach of the Australia national rugby union team from 2020 to 2023, having previously coached New Zealand sides the Chiefs, Manawatu, Wellington, the New Zealand U20, as well as in Scotland, with Glasgow Warriors from 2017 to 2020. Rennie's playing position was Centre. In November 2019 he was named the head coach of the Australian national team until being sacked in January 2023.

The Fijian Drua is a professional rugby union team based in Fiji that competes in the Super Rugby. The team was created by the Fiji Rugby Union and launched in August 2017, shortly before the 2017 National Rugby Championship. The team previously competed in the Australian National Rugby Championship competition between 2017 and 2019, when the tournament was disbanded.

The 2019 National Rugby Championship was the sixth season of the top flight of Australian domestic rugby union. The competition began on 31 August and concluded on 26 October. The match of the round was broadcast live each week on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, with all matches streamed on rugby.com.au live. The championship featured eight professional teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji.

References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "Ex-Leinster skills coach 'Mick the Kick' back in ancestral home with Wallabies". The42.ie . 24 November 2016.
    2. ↑ AFL Tables: Accuracy
    3. ↑ Lovett, Michael (2004). AFL 2004 – The Official Statistical History of the AFL. AFL Publishing. ISBN   0-9580300-5-7.
    4. ↑ The Age , "Inaccurate ruckman kicks on as specialist" , 4 February 2007, Samantha Lane
    5. ↑ Growden, Greg (4 November 2004). "Australians breathe life into Scots' game". The Age.
    6. 1 2 Napier, Liam (19 December 2019). "Mick Byrne moves on in one of two changes to All Blacks management for 2016". Stuff .
    7. ↑ "Rugby: Byrne warning over Kaino pressure". Otago Daily Times . 29 March 2014.
    8. ↑ Payten, Iain (19 February 2016). "Meet former AFL flag winner who helped forge an All Blacks empire". The Daily Telegraph .
    9. ↑ Payten, Iain (23 July 2016). "Wallabies recruit former All Blacks skills coach Mick Byrne in search of World Cup winning alchemy". The Daily Telegraph.
    10. 1 2 "Former All Blacks skills coach Mick Byrne joins Wallabies". Stuff. 24 July 2016.
    11. ↑ Robinson, Georgina (30 January 2020). "Plot thickens in search for Wallabies forwards coach". The Sydney Morning Herald .
    12. ↑ AUSTIN GILGRONIS TAKE ON NEW OWNERSHIP AND FIND NEW HOME AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS FOR 2020 SEASON
    13. ↑ RUGBY CANADA ANNOUNCES INTERIM TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP PLAN FOR WOMEN’S 7S
    14. ↑ "Fijian Drua Appoit Byrne As Head Coach And Nacanieli Cawanibuka As Head Of Athletic Performance". Fiji Rugby Union. September 2021.
    15. ↑ "Super Rugby's Fijian Drua appoint Aussie Mick Byrne as first head coach". rugby.com.au . 24 September 2021.
    16. ↑ Snape, Jack (10 November 2021). "Mick Byrne went from being sacked by Ron Barassi to VFL glory, and now boss of rugby's big hope". ABC News .
    17. ↑ Mick Byrne named Fiji national head coach
    Sporting positions
    Preceded by Fiji National Rugby Union Coach
    2024–Present    		Succeeded by
    Incumbent
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.