Former Wallaby coach joins NZ line-up

Former Wallabies kicking coach Mick Byrne has joined the New Zealand Rugby Union's (NZRU) coaching team.

Byrne was the Wallabies' kicking and catching coach when they won the Rugby World Cup in 1999 and also held the same role with the ACT Brumbies from 1998-2001.

He worked as a consultant to the Springboks in 2001-2002 prior to taking up a job as kicking coach with Scotland in 2002. He joined the Saracens coaching staff in 2004.

Byrne, who will be both a kicking and catching specialist for the NZRU, will join up after Saracens' post-season involvement in the Zurich Premiership has ended.

Mike Chu, NZRU High Performance Manager, said: "Mick Byrne is a vastly experienced coach with an impeccable track record.

"He is the latest addition to the team of specialist coaches and sports science experts who are tasked with honing specific skills or key areas.

"We want to ensure the All Blacks and the elite players coming through have everything they need to perform at their best."

Byrne, who played rugby and league at school, enjoyed a 15-year career in the AFL with Melbourne, Hawthorn and Sydney, making 180 first-grade appearances before embarking on a coaching career.

The NZRU said his appointment was part of its commitment to a high performance plan launched last December.

Byrne joins scrummaging coach Mike Cron, nutritionist Glenn Kearney and biomechanist Mark Sayers as part of a team that will work with the All Blacks, other national teams, Super 12 teams, sides in the NPC and academies.

- HERALD ONLINE STAFF