Shaun McRae

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Shaun McRae is the head coach of the Salford City Reds.

Shaun McRae, nicknamed 'Bomber', was born in 1959 and began his rugby league coaching career as Head Coach with St Helens (1996-1998) in the British Super League, where he won the Challenge Cup in 1996 and in 1997, and the Super League championship in 1996.

In 1998 he moved to the now defunct Gateshead Thunder club, before coaching Hull between 1999-2004.

He returned to Australia and joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2004. He returned to the NRL with a 61.1% success rate in the British Super League. He was replaced at the Rabbits by Jason Taylor after the 2006 season with a final winning success rate of exactly 25%.

Under McRae's tutorledge South Sydney finished the 2005 NRL season level on 23 premiership points with 2004 premiers the Canterbury Bulldogs.

The 2006 season was seen as a transitional phase for the club, with the loss of senior players such as Bryan Fletcher, however with the club getting the wooden spoon for the fourth time in five seasons, he was asked to make way for outgoing Parramatta coach Jason Taylor

He was controversially moved upstairs to a position of director of rugby at the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Although the team had finished bottom in the NRL, McRae was expected to be retained, with players signing knowing that they would be signing for the former Saints head coach. The Rabbitohs had not been expected to challenge due to the youthful makeup of the squad and the general lack of quality in the Souths team.

McRae initially agreed to stay on the administrative role, he had only signed a deal earlier that year to be head coach at the Rabbitohs until the end of the 2007 season. However in late 2006 it emerged that he would be leaving his new role, feeling that he still had much to offer as a head coach.

Shaun McRae is a well respected coach for his work in International coaching, having been on the coaching staff at all the major rugby league nations. McRae is also the only man to hold the position of head coach throughout the first nine seasons of Super League.

McRae is also known for his work on Sky Sports with Eddie Hemmings and Mike 'Stevo' Stephenson. His insightful comments on how to play simple rugby league football have won him many supporters in the Northern Hemisphere.

In early 2007 Shaun McRae was installed as the favourite to succeed Brian Noble to become the full-time coach of Great Britain. He was overlooked for the position as National team coach, with the job going to Tony Smith.

McRae them became touted as the favourite to take over from Karl Harrison at the Salford City Reds almost as soon as Harrison was sacked. On 11 June 2007 it was confirmed that McRae had been given the job. ^[1]

[edit] Quotations

• "I feel I am able to meet the job description and I am very much looking forward to speaking to the RFL in the near future." (McRAE IN MIX FOR GB JOB)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• McRae favourite for Salford role
• McRae interested in GB coach role
• GB Captain Paul Sculthorpe backs Shaun McRae for role
• Shaun McRae quits Souths
• Sacked McRae stays at Rabbitohs
• McRae extends South Sydney stay
• BOOTS 'N' ALL: BALANCE IS THE KEY
• Hull confirm McRae exit
• RLWC 2000 - Scotland Profile
• Shaun McRae quotes
• RFL CONFIRMS NOBLE'S GB EXIT