Harris unveiled as Wales coach
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Your support makes all the difference.Former dual-code international Iestyn Harris was today appointed as head coach of Wales for the autumn internationals.
The ex-Leeds, Cardiff and Bradford stand-off, who is the record scorer for Wales with 165 points in 20 appearances, succeeds Australian John Dixon after being his assistant for last year's international against England.
Dixon stepped down from the role after losing his job with Super League club Celtic Crusaders and is returning to Australia to take up a coaching post with Redcliffe.
Harris' first match will be the return clash with England in Bridgend on 17 October, which is a warm-up for the Four Nations series and the European Cup in which Wales face group matches against Serbia and Ireland.
It is the first senior coaching post for the 33-year-old Harris, who will be able to lean on former head coach Clive Griffiths, who was unveiled at today's press conference at the Welsh Assembly as his assistant.
Griffiths, 54, was in charge of Wales from 1991-2000 when he guided them to 15 wins from 25 games, including two World Cup semi-final appearances and a European Championship triumph.
Harris, a former Super League "Man of Steel", said: "I am really excited by the opportunity to help Wales rugby league develop over the coming years and to bring through the young players who are showing such talent.
"I am very ambitious as a coach and Wales rugby league has always been very close to my heart so I will be taking the role very seriously.
"Clive has been a big influence on my career over the last 15-20 years and he will bring a lot of experience and act as a father figure to the players."
Assistant coach Kevin Ellis and team manager John Devereux keep their roles but the Crusaders' Anthony Seibold and Hull KR boss Justin Morgan have stepped down from the backroom staff for family reasons.
"We're delighted that Iestyn Harris has accepted the role of head coach," Wales Rugby League executive chairman Mark Rowley said. "He has the enthusiasm and passion for the development of rugby league in Wales and it is these elements that will help him be a success.
"We are also delighted that someone of the calibre of Clive Griffiths is assisting him.
"We are sorry to see John Dixon leave and we wish him well as he returns to a new coaching position in Australia.
"Over the last four years, John has laid the foundations for the success of rugby league in Wales and for that we owe him a great deal of thanks."
A player with St Helens and Salford, Griffiths is a former director of coaching at Warrington.
He returned to rugby union after the 2000 World Cup and coached at London Welsh, Swansea and Newport Gwent Dragons before being appointed as defence coach to the national side and was given much of the credit for their 2005 Grand Slam triumph.
More recently, he held coaching roles at Doncaster and Worcester and, on his return to league, led Wales students to the World Cup semi-finals last year.
His son Rhys made his debut in Wales' 74-0 defeat by England at Doncaster last October and is in the initial squad for the autumn internationals.
Harris, who returned to league after playing for Wales in the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup, joined Featherstone a year ago and scored the match-winning try at Widnes last Friday that took them through to Thursday's Championship final eliminator at Halifax.
Although he has 12 months left on his contract at Featherstone, Harris is being tipped to become assistant to Brian Noble at the Crusaders next season.
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