After a thorough interview process, SUFC are pleased to announce Damien Hill as the Club’s new Head Coach.
Damien will be a familiar face to many SUFC stakeholders, as he supported Sean Hedger as 1st Grade Assistant Coach, focusing on defence throughout the 2022 season.
Damien, has over 20 years coaching experience, having started his career as a development officer with the Brumbies in 1999. Under Eddie Jones, Hill progressed into coaching development and then became manager of coaching and development in 2000.
He left the Brumbies, and moved to the Suntory Rugby Club in Japan, where he became Coaching Coordinator and Backs Coach. He joined the Students in 2006 as Director of Rugby, before transferring to Head Coach for the 2007 season. Under Damien’s tenure SUFC won three consecutive Shute Shield premierships and four Club Championships titles.
His success with SUFC lead to his appointment as Assistant Coach of the newly founded Melbourne Rebels in 2011, and elevated to Head Coach for the next season. In 2013, the Rebels ended the season in 12th, their best performance in the Super Rugby competition to date. After three years with the Rebels, Damien moved to Japan and spent four seasons as Head Coach of the Ricoh Black Rams.
Returning to Australia in 2017, he took on the role of General Manager – Professional Rugby and Pathways at the Brumbies for two years, before another stint with the Black Rams.
Damien’s extensive coaching experience and knowledge of Sydney University make him the ideal candidate to lead the Club into 2023 and beyond.
Director of Rugby, Nick Ryan commented on the appointment, “Damien made an enormous contribution in 2022 and has a proven track record of delivering quality rugby programs as a Head Coach. That coupled with his familiarity with the current playing group and a deep understanding of the DNA and history of SUFC, made him the ideal person to develop the next generation of 1st Grade players at SUFC.”
Damien will come on board fulltime with from 1 November, with the 2023 season due to start in early April.
All other coaching appointments will be announced in the coming weeks.