Chris Fusaro excited as ‘mentor’ Kelly Brown returns to Glasgow

Former Warriors player leaves Saracens for assistant coach role at Scotstoun

Kelly Brown, returning to Glasgow as a No 2, has experience of coaching at Saracens and Scotland. Picture: Bill Murray/SNS

Chris Fusaro believes there is 
a lot to be excited about at Glasgow Warriors as the club get ready to return to action.

Rugby was suspended in the middle of March due to the coronavirus crisis and Danny
Wilson replaced Dave Rennie as Warriors’ head coach on 
1 June, a month sooner than planned.

And as the Scotstoun club get ready for the double-header against Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield later this month, it was announced yesterday that former player Kelly Brown 
will return from Saracens as assistant coach .

It was also confirmed that tighthead prop and assistant coach Petrus du Plessis departed the club at the end of July, having accepted another
coaching role, and that John Dalziel will join Gregor
Townsend’s backroom staff as forwards coach in the 
Scotland national set up after August’s games.

Scotland flanker Fusaro, 31, said: “It is always exiting when a new coach comes in.

“It is obviously not an 
ideal start for Danny, coming in when there is a lockdown and he doesn’t get access to all the players but we have been 
pretty full-on in terms of learning all the new strategies and 
Danny’s game plans.

“Kelly will be bringing a lot of experience with him from the Saracens environment where there is a lot of calibre in terms of what they have achieved in Europe and in England over the last five/ten years.

“I trained with him when he was still at Glasgow and I was still at the academy.

“He was great to the youngsters then, a good mentor. He always helped out when he could so it will be exciting 
having him back up here.

“We have not played for six or seven months so the boys are really excited to get back out there, it adds to it even more that it is a double-header against Edinburgh.

“I think we are going to be very sore after it but the boys are really looking forward to it.”

Brown, capped 64 times for Scotland, is returning to 
Glasgow a decade after he left. The former back-rower signed for Saracens in 2010 and worked with the club’s academy after hanging up his boots in 2017.

Now 38, Brown will focus on the contact area. “When Danny [Wilson] called, the role ticked so many boxes,” said the 38-year-old.

“It’s a club I’ve got a lot of love for, so I was delighted to accept the offer. I’ve had a fantastic ten years at Saracens, and I’ve learnt so much on and off the pitch, and the chance to take up a senior role like this with Glasgow was too good to turn down.”

Brown added: “You take a lot of lessons from your playing career into coaching. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some unbelievable coaches over the years, so you take as many 
lessons as you can and try to influence your own coaching style.

“There’s a good mix of senior players and younger guys, which is really exciting for me. Seeing where we can take those younger players and 
take the club to in future is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Head coach Wilson welcomed Brown’s appointment, saying: “We’re delighted to welcome a coach of Kelly’s quality as we continue to build towards our return to rugby.

“He’s packed a lot into the three years since he hung up his boots, which shows just how highly regarded he is as a coach. He was excellent when I had the chance to work with him as part of the Scotland set-up, and I know he’ll bring a lot to the table.

“He not only possesses the experience and expertise through his playing career, but he’s also very good at communicating what he wants with the players.

“As well as a great coach, he’s also a great person to work with and will be an excellent addition to life at Scotstoun as we move forward.”

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