The NSW Waratahs have appointed a new Head Coach for the 2020 Buildcorp Super W season, with Campbell Aitken set to lead the 2019 Champions into their next campaign.
Aitken – who was an Assistant to Matt Evrard in 2019 – will assume the role after a successful period with Eastern Suburbs as both Director of Rugby and Women’s Head Coach.
In charge of the Sydney Rays for their 2018 Chikarovski Cup campaign, Aitken guided them to a victory in the tournament’s second year.
Evrard will take a step back following a season in charge of the undefeated back-to-back Champions, placing greater focus on his role as Pathways Program Coordinator.
After his involvement with the Waratahs Women in 2019, Aitken said he was excited about the wealth of talent coming through ahead of 2020.
“New South Wales is spoilt for talent, but we also have some great systems in place to support the growth and development of our players,” Aitken said.
“There’s still a way to go but year-on-year improvements are being made from the Jack Scott Cup, through to events like the Chikarovski Cup and ultimately into Super W.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved with a side full of young talent, coupled with some of the best players in the country – we’ll have a really strong squad together for pre-season.
“There’s certainly expectations on us to meet the high standards of previous seasons, but that’s a challenge myself and no doubt the wider squad will relish.”
Recruitment is underway for Assistant Coaches for 2020, with Aitken confirming that Matt Evrard would still be involved in a less structured capacity.
“We’re going through that [recruitment] at the moment, we’ve had some great people put their hand up to be involved,” Aitken added.
“Matt [Evrard] will still be around which I’m really pleased about, he’s a busy man with the [Gen Blue] Academy and other programs but he’ll be assisting throughout the 2020 season.”
The Scottish-born coach will continue his role overseeing the men’s and women’s programs for the Beasties, after being an integral part to the latter’s establishment three years ago.
Aitken is currently in the process of finalising a pre-season training squad, which is set to be announced in the coming days.
The NSW Waratahs Women’s 2020 Super W pre-season squad will begin training in late-November.
