Dean Ryan - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Ryan moved into coaching while at Bristol, taking the reins at the club for the beginning of the 2000-01 season, and took the club to the Zurich Championship Final in 2002 where they lost to Gloucester Rugby. Ryan moved to Gloucester Rugby after this as Assistant Head Coach under Nigel Melville. Following Melville's departure from Gloucester Rugby in 2005, Ryan was appointed to the Head Coach role which he held through the 2008-09 season.

During his time at Gloucester Rugby, Ryan has assembled a team featuring a number of highly talented youngsters, and has put together a back-line considered by many to be one of the most exciting in English club rugby. Following the dismissal of Andy Robinson as England head coach, Dean Ryan was amongst the favourites to be his successor. However Ryan stated that he was committed to his role at Gloucester Rugby and had not considered leaving as he believes that he has not yet finished his work at the club. Under Ryan's guidance Gloucester Rugby has enjoyed three successful seasons, and began the 2007-08 campaign as favourites for the Guinness Premiership - which ultimately Gloucester failed to live up to - losing at home to Leicester in the Play Off semi final.

Unfortunately Ryan has failed to deliver the anticipated trophies at Gloucester. A few Gloucester fans credit this lack of success to poor tactics; others, however, attribute the lack of success to disruptive influences. On 11 June 2009, Gloucester announced that Ryan had left the club by mutual consent.

Following the decision of Andy Robinson to leave his job as Scotland coach in the Autumn of 2012, Dean Ryan was appointed as interim Scotland coach alongside Scott Johnson.