Wayne Pivac appointed head coach of NEC Green Rockets

Japanese second-division side NEC Green Rockets have confirmed the appointment of Wayne Pivac as the head coach ahead of the new season.

Pivac has managed to land on a new role in less than nine months since he was sacked as the head coach of Wales with Warren Gatland replacing him.

Under the 60-year-old, Wales managed to win just 13 out of the 34 games though they managed to clinch the Six Nations title in 2021. He also had worked with Scarlets as the head coach between 2014 and 2019 apart from coaching Auckland, Fiji and North Harbour in the past.

Pivac will be assisted by his former assistant at Auckland, Paul Feeney, as they look to help the club gain back the promotion to the top tier.

"It is a great honor and a privilege to be able to work along side some fantastic people at NEC Green Rockets," said Pivac.

"Our slogan, 'always above', embodies everything we will be about throughout the 2023/24 season as we rebuild to be better and stronger than we have been in past seasons.

"We will be striving to return to the top division of Japanese rugby. Along the way we want to give our supporters plenty to cheer about with an exciting brand of rugby."