Boyd to coach Wellington

CHRIS BOYD will coach Wellington in next year’s ITM Cup.

The 53-year-old was yesterday confirmed as Andre Bell’s replacement.

It was unclear who applied for the role, but Boyd was believed to have headed off a field that included Hawke's Bay coach Peter Russell and Bay of Plenty's Sean Horan.

He will sit down with Lions forwards coach Richard Watt today to discuss whether he can manage the role in conjunction with his commitments to the Hurricanes as a technical assistant.

Wellington finished second from bottom in this year’s ITM Cup Premiership division, promoting the union to look for a new coach – despite Bell still having a year left on his contract.

Boyd was an assistant to former Lions coach John Plumtree at South African Super Rugby franchise the Sharks for two years before this season working alongside Mark Anscombe with the New Zealand Under 20 team.