Stephen Meehan, whose coaching journey has taken him from his native Australia to France, England and Japan, has been named head coach of the Toronto Arrows.
He succeeds fellow Australian Peter Smith, who left in July after the lone Canadian entry in the Major League Rugby finished 12th and last at 1-13-2 after an injury-riddled season.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of the future of a great club, with some of the most incredible supporters in a league that is on the rise," Meehan said in a statement. "MLR is a competition that plenty of people are talking about across the globe. It has huge potential, and that interest will keep building.”
Most recently, Meehan was director of rugby of Australia's GPS Rugby Club, where he started as a youth coach in 1995.
He began his top-level coaching career in his native Queensland in 1999 in various positions, including as a Queensland Reds’ under-19 selector.
In 2002, he moved to France to serve as assistant coach under Nick Mallett and later Fabien Galthie at Stade Francais. He joined England's Bath as backs coach in 2006 before returning to Australia as the Western Force's attack coach for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
A year later, he became the Queensland Reds' attack coach. Meehan was backs coach at Toulon for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Top 14 seasons before moving to Japan as backs coach for the Kintetsu Liners for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 Top League campaigns.
He returned to the Western Force in 2019 as the club’s defence coach.
“His coaching record speaks for itself in terms of his success across top leagues in both hemispheres, but what rang true strongly during the interview process was his innovative approach to the game, his passion for his players, and his desire to help grow the sport in Canada," Tim Matthews, the Arrows vice-president and GM, said in a statement.
“Steve will bring a unique set of skills to the Arrows and help our club realize its ambitions. We firmly believe he is the right person to lead the team in 2024 and beyond.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
