Connolly handed task of reviving Wallabies

LONG-TIME Queensland Reds coach John Connolly was appointed head coach of the Wallabies yesterday with the task of taking the struggling Australian national team through next year’s World Cup in France.

Connolly, known by the nickname “Knuckles”, takes over from Eddie Jones, sacked in December following the Wallabies’ disastrous 2005 season, when they lost eight of nine internationals, including seven successive defeats, before beating Ireland.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said Connolly, aged 54, had a two-year contract and would lead a “new, streamlined” coaching staff through the 2007 World Cup.