'The club is moving in another direction' - Warriors defence coach leaves with immediate effect
Worcester Warriors defence coach Omar Mouneimne has left Sixways with immediate effect, the club has confirmed. Mouneimne, a former mixed martial arts fighter, joined Warriors as defence & kicking strategy coach in 2017.
And the highly-experienced coach is now on the lookout for a new club following a coaching shake-up at Worcester, with Warriors director of rugby Alan Solomons stating: “The club is moving in another direction.”
“Omar’s departure from Sixways is of mutual benefit to both the club and him and is the right time for Omar to move on to other opportunities,” Solomons said.
“The club is moving in another direction and the incoming coaching staff will facilitate this by, amongst other things, the good synergy they will provide.
“They all know each other well and JT [Jonathan Thomas] and Iro [Mark Irish] have worked together for a number of years. I have also worked with both JT and Iro and have struck up a good relationship with both them and Jockey [Matt Sherratt].
“Importantly, and over and above the strong synergy which will exist within the new coaching team, it has become clear from the discussions we have had over the last period that we are all aligned.
“This is critical for the club to progress. Omar, on the other hand, after having given valuable and much appreciated service to the club over a number of years, is at a point where he is looking for a fresh challenge.
“In the short term, JT will take over the role of Defence Coach – a role he performed superbly during my short stint at Bristol – and Iro will focus on the forwards with JT lending a hand. We will then review the situation after the conclusion of the 2019/2020 competition.
“On a personal note I would like to thank Omar, who I have worked with for many years, for all he has done for the club and wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Mouneimne started his coaching career in 2006 with South Africa’s Sevens team in the World Series before moving to Super Rugby side the Stormers in 2008, helping them reach the 2010 Super Rugby final.
He also helped Western Province reach the semi-finals of the Currie Cup in 2009 and the final in 2010, before moving to international rugby as Italy defence coach in 2010.
A spell at Southern Kings followed before Mouneimne moved to Edinburgh Rugby, where he was part of a team that reached the European Challenge Cup final in 2015 before a he joined Lyon in the Top 14.
He previously worked with former Warriors director of rugby Gary Gold at Durban-based Sharks, helping them reach the Super Rugby quarter-finals in the 2015 season.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments