Brumbies

Finegan returns home to Brumbies Rugby

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CA Brumbies legend Owen Finegan will return home to Canberra and rejoin Brumbies Rugby.



Finegan, who has been overseas since 2005, will take up the position of Brumbies Academy head coach as well as assisting with the role of lineout coach for the CA Brumbies.



The former Wallaby and foundation CA Brumbies player, who was a member of the CA Brumbies’ 2001 Championship win and captained the side to their 2004 title, says he’s looking forward to returning home.



‘I love Canberra and I’m very pleased to be returning to the Brumbies which is like home to me,’ he said. ‘Canberra‘s been very good to me and I’ve always loved living here and, by helping the next generation Brumbies, I see this as an opportunity to help give something back to this rugby community.



‘I’ve spoken to the coaches and staff and everyone’s very positive about the future at the Brumbies. I’m very excited to be able to contribute towards the ongoing success of the Brumbies.’



Finegan played 90 Super 12 matches for the CA Brumbies that included 30 tries, a tournament record for a forward. The hulking lock/flanker also earned 55 caps for the Wallabies featuring a match-sealing try in the 1999 Rugby World Cup final win against France at Millennium Stadium.



Finegan, affectionately known as ‘Melon’, played a season each with Newcastle in the English premiership and with Irish province, Leinster, following his time in Super Rugby. He completed his playing career with a five-month, short-term contract with the Leicester Tigers during this year’s Rugby World Cup.



CA Brumbies head coach Laurie Fisher says Finegan will be a valuable resource for Brumbies Rugby.



‘Owen’s a very experienced player who returns home with a vast amount of football knowledge,’ he said. ‘He’s always been an outstanding competitor and a great character to have around the team. It’s a tremendous benefit to the organisation to hold on to someone who has played almost 100 Super 12 matches, more than 50 Tests for Australia and spent time playing overseas.’



Brumbies Rugby CEO Andrew Fagan says he’s pleased to see Finegan return to Canberra.



‘We’re very pleased to be able to bring a former player home to Brumbies Rugby,’ he said. ‘From a Brumbies Academy perspective, we’re very fortunate to bring in someone with Owen’s extensive experience to oversee our development program. He’s recognised as one of the great rugby thinkers worldwide and this has only been enhanced with his recent time in the UK.



‘Owen’s a tremendous club man as well as a player renowned for his grunt and mongrel, and we’ll look for him to continue to bring those characteristics to the side and complement Brumbies Rugby’s celebrated attacking play.’



Finegan will start at Brumbies Rugby in January.

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