June 29, 2026 — 9:53amWaratahs head coach Dan McKellar will part ways with the NSW franchise with a year left on his contract after a second poor season in charge prompted drastic change at the Rugby Australia-owned outfit.McKellar was forced to front the Waratahs board last week to explain the just-completed Super Rugby Pacific season, where the NSW side again failed to qualify for the six-team playoffs.Waratahs Head Coach Dan McKellar earlier this month.Getty ImagesThe Waratahs won just five of 14 matches, one fewer than in McKellar’s first season in 2025. McKellar, a former Brumbies head coach and Wallabies assistant coach, arrived at the Waratahs at the end of 2024 amid hope he could turn the perennially underperforming franchise around.But two disappointing seasons have followed, and McKellar’s ongoing future at the club came under scrutiny in recent weeks.Against a backdrop of mixed player feedback about the McKellar regime, the Waratahs and Rugby Australia conducted a review of the season and his future at the club.McKellar, who said after the Waratahs’ last-round defeat to the Force that he is “under contract” and planned to still be at the franchise in 2027, made the decision to exit the Tahs over the weekend.An announcement is expected on Monday.MORE TO COMEIain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners