Ospreys part company with head coach Holley

The Ospreys have parted company with head coach Sean Holley by mutual consent, the Welsh region announced this morning.

Holley has been with the Ospreys since their inception in 2003, but following discussions with the board it was decided he should leave with immediate effect.

“Professional sport is a fast-moving and ever-changing environment and after nine years in office we feel that the time is now right to freshen things up and look at alternative options,” Ospreys managing director Mike Cuddy said.

Holley has paid the price for the Ospreys' continued lack of success in the Heineken Cup.

In 2010 they lost to Biarritz in the quarter-finals, but they have failed to qualify for the knockout stages since.

The RaboDirect Pro12 League has been a happier hunting ground, however, after they won the competition in 2010, the third of the region’s three Celtic League titles.

And while they also lie second in this season’s table, it is their shortcomings in Europe that have proved decisive.

Holley, who was previously assistant to boss Lyn Jones, took charge of the Ospreys in 2008.

It was announced in December that coaching director Scott Johnson will leave the region at the end of the season to become senior assistant coach with Scotland.