 McClennan withFabian Soutar after the2005 Bartercard Cup. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1962-02-16)16 February 1962 (age 63) Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Stand-off | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 11 August 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Mike McClennan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brian "Bluey" McClennan (born 16 February 1962) is a New Zealand former professionalrugby league footballer and coach. He was previously the head coach of theNew Zealand national team (with whom he won the2005 Tri-nations) and then England'sLeeds Rhinos club (with whom he won the 2008 and 2009Super League championships).
McClennan also coached theExiles team in the inauguralInternational Origin match in 2011 before being appointed head coach ofNational Rugby League club, theNew Zealand Warriors but failing to complete the first season of his contract. McClennan is the son of formerSt. Helens coachMike McClennan.[2]
McClennan started his playing career atMt Albert under the guidance of his dad,Mike. He played at Stand Off and also kicked goals.[3] When his dad moved toNorthcote in 1989, Brian also moved and was a part of the team which won theAuckland Rugby League grand final that year.[citation needed]
McClennan also representedAuckland and in what was to be his final representative game he captained the province to a win over the touringGreat Britain side.[3] However he played for Auckland again, including in theRugby League Cup challenge against Canterbury in 1994.[4]
In 1994, whileplayer-coach at theHibiscus Coast Raiders he played several games for theNorth Harbour Sea Eagles.[5]
Appointed the North Harbour rugby league development officer in 1994,[6] McClennan assisted U16 CoachJohn Ackland at theAuckland Warriors in 1995.[3] He then took over as coach of third division Auckland side, theHibiscus Coast Raiders, and led them to repeatedAuckland Rugby League successes until they were invited to be part of the nationalBartercard Cup.[citation needed]
He coached theHibiscus Coast Raiders andMt Albert Lions to championships in theBartercard Cup, and was then assistant coach for the Kiwis underDaniel Anderson.[7]
Despite this, his appointment in June 2005 as national coach of New Zealand was controversial, mainly because he had no top-level experience inAustralia orGreat Britain.[7] However, he led New Zealand to an upset triumph in the2005 Tri-Nations series. New Zealand won the series final againstAustralia 24–0 atElland Road, England. It was Australia's first defeat in a series or tournament since 1978. The margin equalled Australia's biggest ever losing margin.[citation needed]
In 2006, he coached theAuckland Lions to the minor premiership in the Bartercard Cup. However the Kiwis lost both mid-season tests to theKangaroos andLions. That year he received theRugby League International Federation's coach of the year award.[8] In 2007 he served as Director of Football to help the Auckland Lions prepare for their entrance into theNSWRL Premier League before leaving to concentrate on the Kiwis for the rest of the season.[9] In mid-2007 reports emerged that he was looking for a job in theNational Rugby League.[10]
In July 2007,Leeds Rhinos announced that New Zealand national coach Brian McClennan would be joining the club as Head Coach on a two-year contract from 1 December 2007. McClennan subsequently resigned as national coach, his position taken up byGary Kemble in August 2007. In his first season as coach, the Rhino's won the2008 World Club Challenge, beatingMelbourne Storm 11–4 atElland Road.[11] Later that year he coached Leeds to the2008 Super League Grand Final victory overSt Helens.[12]
The following year he achieved the same feat, beating St Helens 18–10 in the2009 Super League Grand Final atOld Trafford.[13][14][15][16][17]
He coached Leeds to the2010 Challenge Cup Final defeat by theWarrington Wolves atWembley Stadium.[18][19]
McClennan resigned after 2010'sSuper League XV, returning to New Zealand and working for theAuckland Rugby League as their development and coaching manager.
In 2011, McClennan was announced as the first coach of theExiles, a team made up of Australian and New Zealand players contracted toSuper League clubs. The Exiles defeatedEngland in June in the firstInternational Origin Match, a fixture intended to become an annual contest.
On 1 August 2011, McClennan was appointedIvan Cleary's replacement as head coach ofNational Rugby League side, theNew Zealand Warriors for the2012 and2013 seasons, as Cleary had signed on to coach thePenrith Panthers at the end of the 2011 season. After eight wins in 22 matches, including two losses after leading by 18 points, a 45–4 loss at home to the Sharks and a 52–12 loss to the Cowboys in consecutive weeks, McClennan was sacked by the Warriors.[20][21][22][23]
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