The Rebels have announced that Rod Macqueen has agreed to extend his role with the club until the end of 2013 but he will be replaced as Head coach, by Damien Hill.

Macqueen, who joined the Rebels at the beginning of 2010, as Director of Coaching and Head Coach, will continue as Director of Coaching for the 2012/13 Super Rugby seasons in a non executive position.

Macqueen will also be invited to join the Board of the Rebels at the completion of this Super Rugby season.

The club’s coaching succession plan will see current Assistant Coach Damien Hill, move into the position of Head Coach on a 2 year contract.

In making the announcement today Rebels’ Chairman, Harold Mitchell, said he was thrilled to retain the services of Rod Macqueen.

“We are delighted that Rod has accepted our invitation to join the Board, and that he has also agreed to continue his important work with the players and coaches as Director of Coaching.

“The Rebels and Rod Macqueen are synonymous with each other and our sincere hope is that Rod is not only with us for the next few years, but for many more to come.

“The succession plan put in place when Rod Macqueen agreed to lead the Rebels almost two years ago was always about setting up the club for the long term.

“Rod has been unrelenting in his commitment to the foundation phase of our club. He has led our organisation with enormous passion, on and off the field, and his influence and leadership is now indelibly part of what we are forever, ” Mitchell said.

And Rod Macqueen said that he has full confidence in Damien Hill to lead the club into its next phase.

“When selecting the coaching staff we always had succession planning in place. Damien is very respected by peers and players alike, and he strongly reflects the culture that we are endeavouring to build at the Rebels.

“The Rebels have an exciting vision for their business and for rugby in Victoria and beyond. I believe in what the club stands for and I am determined to do what I can to ensure that these formative years lay a foundation for a truly great club and business.

“We have the most important ingredient, quality people, now we must realise our full potential. Working closely with Harold Mitchell, the Board and management I know that we can realise something special, ” Macqueen said.

New Head Coach Damien Hill said he was excited to be taking over the reins for the 2012 Super Rugby season.

“I am grateful for the confidence that the Board of the Rebels has shown in confirming our succession plan for coaching. This is the next step for me and I am fortunate to have the ongoing support of Rod.

“What excites me the most about this opportunity is the chance to build on the hard work that has been done up until this point. The foundations for success have clearly been laid, but we need to continue this moving forward.

“We certainly feel at home here in Victoria and we are all committed to achieving success.

“The Melbourne fans are amongst the most passionate I have seen throughout my time in rugby and we will continue to represent them with a great sense of pride, ” Hill said.

Rebels Chairman Harold Mitchell has also fully endorsed Hill’s appointment.

“We welcome Damien Hill to his new role as Head Coach and look forward to him leading us into an exciting era for rugby in Melbourne.

“His record of success in coaching demonstrates that he is ready to take this step into the toughest provincial rugby competition in the world. Rod believed that when he recruited Damien and that’s good enough for me, ” Mitchell said.

Damien Hill Biography

Damien was recruited from Sydney University where he was the Head Coach of the senior rugby union team, winning 3 Sydney 1st grade rugby union Premierships. Prior to Sydney University, Damien coached in Japan at the Suntory Rugby Football Club and worked in Coaching and Development at the ACT Brumbies.

Coaching History

1998-2000 ACT Brumbies, Development Officer
2000-2002 ACT Brumbies, Manager Coaching and Development
2002-2005 Suntory Rugby Football Club (Japan), Coach Coordinator/Backs Coach
2006 Sydney University Rugby Club, Director of Coaching
2007-2009 Sydney University Rugby Club, Head Coach
2010-2011 Rebels, Assistant Coach