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Bristol Bears add another Connacht connection to coaching team
By Jon Newcombe
Bristol Bears' coaching team for the 2024/25 season is set to be finalised with the arrival of Dave Ellis as skills coach.
The nomadic New Zealander, who hails from Waikato, worked under Pat Lam at Connacht for three-and-a-half years and was a key component in the unheralded Irish province's Pro12 Championship win in 2016. Ellis described that title-winning season "as the highlight of my rugby life".
He left Galway to return home to New Zealand in 2017 after accepting an offer to become one of Tana Umaga's assistants at the Auckland-based Blues.
Playing and coaching has taken Ellis all over the world to Australia, Canada, the USA, Asia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Argentina, followed by Ireland and New Zealand. He also had a brief spell as a consultant to the Bears in 2017.
The only other change to the coaching team from last season was announced earlier this summer, with Sean Marsden replacing Dave Walder as backs and attack coach.
Jordan Crane continues as defence coach and Mark Irish and Chris Morgan remain in charge of the forwards.
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Latest Comments
"Wait, so your hole plan is to allow teams to stay in the Champions Cup once they get there"
What do you mean? Its a knockout competition, not a league, so teams that lose their games will fail to progress.
"the seasons a so bloatedly that if they can only fully concentrate on one, you're specifically trying to make that the EPCR over their league?" if the CC is the pinnacle of european rugby then teams should prioritise it, or at least EPCR should try to encourage teams to prioritise it. When teams don't prioritise it, it makes the competition worse. When teams do prioritise it I think they should be rewarded.
Go to commentsYou are a very horrible man Ojohn. Brain injury perhaps?
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