Former Ulster star Jonny Bell makes move to Glasgow

Former Ulster assistant coach and player, Jonny Bell, will move from his role at Gloucester assistant coach to join PRO14 side Glasgow Warriors next season, writes Richard Mulligan.
Jonny BellJonny Bell
Jonny Bell

Bell joins on a two-year contract and completes the club’s coaching group for the 2020/21 campaign.

He will focus on the Warriors’ attack and will work alongside incoming Head Coach Danny Wilson from next summer, as well as linking up with current coaches Kenny Murray, John Dalziel and Petrus du Plessis.

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The 45-year-old has been with the English Premiership side since 2015 and helped them finish third last season.

Bell also has experience as a Head Coach to his name, having acted as interim Head Coach of the Kingsholm outfit during the 2016/17 campaign.

Prior to his time at Gloucester, the man from Belfast enjoyed four years as an Assistant Coach at Ulster from 2011 to 2015.

As a player, Bell was renowned for his work ethic and commitment to his team; the hard-running centre earned 36 caps for Ireland and represented his country at two Rugby World Cups and the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong.

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Bell played 96 times for Ulster and the pinnacle of his club playing career came in 1998, when he was named Man of the Match in Ulster’s Heineken Cup Final victory over Colomiers at Lansdowne Road.

Speaking to glasgowwarriors.org, Jonny Bell, said: “I’m thrilled and excited to be joining Glasgow Warriors next season.

“It is a club I know well from my time with Ulster and they are blessed with a talented, hard working playing group and excellent coaches. I look forward to adding considerable value to this great environment.

“As an experienced coach, I have worked both sides of the ball throughout my career and I’ve had Head Coach experience with Gloucester. The opportunity to carry on the great work of Jason (O’Halloran) and Dave (Rennie) in attack was too good to turn down.

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“Danny is a coach I have known and respected for a number of years now. He has a proven track record of getting the best out of his players and staff and when we sat down to discuss the role, it was quickly evident that we were very aligned in our philosophy on the game.

“That is next season. From now until the end of this season, I remain totally focused and committed to giving my best to a great playing and coaching group at Gloucester, as we aspire for success this season.”

Speaking about the appointment, Glasgow Warriors Incoming Head Coach, Danny Wilson, added: “We’re excited that Jonny has agreed to join us next season.

“Once we learned that Jason O’Halloran was returning home, Jonny was the top of the list of coaches we wanted to bring to Glasgow.

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“We know we’re getting a knowledgeable, well-rounded coach who is vastly experienced coaching both sides of the ball.

“Jonny also has extensive experience in the PRO14, English Premiership and European Cup and we’re looking forward to him joining us next summer.”