The Fiji Rugby Union has appointed former Australia U20 Assistant Forwards Coach, John McKee as the High Performance Unit General Manager for a three year term ending 2016.
McKee comes to this postion with wide knowledge and experience gained from a wide range of coaching and elite player development roles he has held at elite levels of the game.
John McKee
FRU Board Member and Acting Chief Executive Office Dr Berlin Kafoa said that the board was pleased with the appointment of McKee.
“We are very pleased that he has accepted our offer to lead the HPU and with his qualifications and experience this is exactly what FRU needs to improve the teams’ performance and standings” Dr Kafoa said.
“The role of the HPU is to improve the standard of play for our National Teams in Fiji and abroad, and with McKee heading the unit, we look forward to an improved outing at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.”
McKee spent 6 seasons coaching in the Northern Hemisphere from 2000, including time at Clermont-Ferrand(France) & Connaught (Ireland) as an assistant coach. He returned to Australia in 2007 and was Head Coach of the Central Coast Rays, winners of the Australian Rugby Championship.
In 2008 McKee travelled as a Specialist Coach with ‘the Pacific Islanders’ on their European Tour (which included a 25-17 win over Italy). In the lead up to and during the 2011 RWC he was a Technical Advisor to the Tonga Rugby Union HPU.
Most recently McKee has been working as a Programs Coach at the ARU HPU where his role was very much involved in developing & delivering rugby programs for 18-22 year old players in the ARU National Academy Program.
He travelled to the Junior RWC in France as an Assistant Coach for the Australian U20 team.
“I am very much looking forward to time spent in Fiji and working with all the HPU staff and National Team Coaches in developing the best possible programs for Fiji Rugby.”
“The potential here in Fiji for elite rugby performance is huge. To get performance right for the highest levels of the game and to be consistently successful in Test Match Rugby and International 7s we need to work together to ensure that we can consistently deliver World Class Programs for our National Team Players and for our Developing Elite Players.”
“Fiji Rugby is entering a very exciting phase particularly with 7s being included in The Olympics in Rio 2016 and with the RWC in England in 2015. The work in preparation for these 2 events (and beyond) starts now putting in place programs, systems and processes that can take Fiji Rugby 15s into the top 10 of world rugby and to the podium at Rio for both Men’s & Women’s 7s.”
FRU