McGeechan walks out on Bath
Bath revealed on Wednesday that Director of Rugby Ian McGeechan will be leaving the club at the end of this season, which coincides with the end of his two-year contract.
In a statement the club said it is currently making good progress in identifying a new head coach.
The new structure and coaches will be agreed and in place in the coming months for the beginning of the new season in September.
Bath Rugby Chief Executive Nick Blofeld said they would like to thank McGeechan for his time with the club and for his assistance in developing the culture at the Club through this transitional period.
“An announcement regarding a new head coach will be made in due course,” he said.
McGeechan said he really enjoyed being part of Bath.
“I enjoyed the challenge of leading the cultural change that has taken place particularly over the last 18 months,” the McGeechan said.
“The commitment of the players and staff during this significant transitional period has been outstanding.
“I will now take on the responsibility as head coach for the last three games.”
The Bath owner Bruce Craig revealed earlier this week that he was planning an overhaul of his coaching team, after a poor Premiership campaign that has left them much closer to the bottom than the top.
Bath have drawn up a list of candidates to take over as head coach next season, at the recommendation of McGeechan.
Craig, the richest owner of a Premiership club, saw his side’s arithmetical chance of finishing in the top four disappear last Saturday when Northampton eased to a 26-6 victory at the Recreation Ground with many fans walking out long before the final whistle.
Gary Gold, the former South Africa assistant coach who is in temporary charge of Newcastle, is a contender for the position of head coach, along with Michael Cheika, who helped turn Leinster into a Heineken Cup winning side before taking over at Stade Français.
The London Irish coaches Toby Booth and Mike Catt have also been linked with the position.
McGeechan was originally brought in as a part-time Performance Director, but became more involved in the coaching of the senior squad when Steve Meehan left as head coach after the end of the 2009-10 season.
The Bath coaches Martin Haag and Brad Davis publicly apologised to supporters after the defeat by Northampton.
“Everyone within the organisation needs to take a hard look at themselves,” Davis said.
“We were pretty filthy on ourselves in all aspects of the game. The performance gave the crowd nothing and that is embarrassing.”
Bath still have a chance of qualifying for the Heineken Cup next season, but two of their final three matches are away, to Sale and the form side in the Premiership, Leicester.
