Darren Coleman


Darren Coleman is an Australian professional rugby union coach. As of 2024, he is Director of Rugby at Hunter Wildfires.

Family and early life

Coleman was born in Sydney and he grew up in South West Rocks, [New South Wales|South West Rocks] on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, before moving south to play in the Sydney club rugby competition.
His younger brother Scott Coleman also became a professional rugby coach, appointed to Italian club Benevento in 2013.

Rugby career

While attending Southern Cross University in the late 1990s Coleman played for the University Gold Rats alongside Justin Harrison. Coleman played as a fly-half in Sydney's club rugby competition from 1995 to 2000 for Eastern Suburbs, Newcastle Wildfires, and Northern Suburbs. He was a rugby development officer in Newcastle.
Coleman combined playing with coaching in the early part of his career. While playing for Northern Suburbs, he was appointed as head coach of the New [South Wales Waratahs|NSW Waratahs Academy] in 1998, and then as a skills coach to the Waratahs for the 2000 [Super 12 season]. In late 2000 he left Australia to take up contract stints as a player-coach with Irish club Waterpark, Italian Serie A team Benevento:it:U.S. Rugby Benevento| and the Calgary Saints and Calgary Mavericks in Canada.

Coaching

Coleman came back to Australia and joined the Penrith Emus as the head coach for the 2005 Shute Shield season. He then returned to Northern Suburbs as head coach for 2006 and 2007. Coleman was also assistant coach to the Central Coast Rays in the Australian Rugby Championship in 2007. He was appointed to professional Italian club L'Aquila for the 2007–08 season. guiding them to a promotion play-off for the Serie A Division.
He joined the Brumbies as head coach of the Brumbies Academy for the 2009 season. Brumbies head coach Andy Friend nominated Coleman as the Brumbies attack coach for the 2011 [Super Rugby season], but the appointment was vetoed by the administration. He left for Japan to coach Toyota Industries Shuttles, where he guided the team to gain promotion to the Top League for the 2013–14 season.
On returning to Australia again, Coleman was coaching director of Eastern Suburbs from 2014 to 2016. He was appointed head coach of NSW Country Eagles in 2014, and head coach of Sydney club Warringah in 2017. Coleman won the Shute Shield premiership with Warringah in 2017. He was appointed head coach of Gordon in 2018, winning the Shute Shield with that club in 2020.
Coleman was announced as the head coach of Major League Rugby team LA Giltinis in the United States for their inaugural season in 2021. The Giltinis won the Western Conference and 2021 [Major League Rugby final|MLR Championship] that year, before Coleman returned to Sydney to coach the New South Wales Waratahs for the 2022 season of Super Rugby.

Honours

LA Giltinis
NSW Country Eagles
Central Coast Rays
Warringah
Gordon