Berne bolsters Force attack
The former Bath Rugby playmaker joins the Super Rugby franchise with more than 200 professional playing caps including stints with the Waratahs, Calvisano, Leinster and was most recently involved in elite player development at the Irish powerhouse club.
The signing of Berne is another key step for the Force after coach Dave Wessels recently announced that Joe Barakat (Forwards) and veteran coach Alan Gaffney (Attack Specialist) would also be part of his coaching team for the 2017 Super Rugby season.
The 37-year-old Australian said he can’t wait to get to Perth and be involved in such an experienced coaching panel.
"Firstly, I’d like to thank Leinster and the IRFU for the opportunities they gave me, having transitioned out of my playing days and into coaching, they have been really good to me.
"I’m looking forward to working alongside the rest of the coaches, and being able to bounce ideas off those guys,"
Berne said the move to Super Rugby was something he has always wanted to do.
"You can’t help but be attracted to the style of rugby that’s played in Super Rugby.
"Over here in Europe it often gets bogged down in nasty weather, but the weather in Super Rugby doesn’t have that kind of impact, which allows for that great style of rugby,"
Western Force head coach Dave Wessels says Berne will be a valuable inclusion in the coaching structure.
"Two things stand out about Shaun [Berne] from the interview process; the first is that he has a fantastic rugby brain. I’ve been told that when he played alongside the likes of Brian O’Driscoll he was driving a lot of the ideas around Leinster’s attack and that came across clearly in all of his presentations. The second is that he’s a person of character who has a deep love for Australian rugby.
"We’re excited about the management team we are putting together and would like to thank Leinster for the way they have handled this matter,"
Berne professional career started in 1999 where he played for Bath up and until 2006. During his time at Bath, he also made played for the Waratahs from 2001 to 2006.
In 2009 Berne joined Leinster and left there in 2011 to join Calvisano in Italy.
His coaching career started in 2015 when he was involved in the Leinster Elite Player development.
