Holley, Johnson out at Ospreys, Tandy in

IT’S been a case of two out and one in at the Liberty Stadium on one of the most eventful days in the Ospreys’ short history.

The Welsh region confirmed today that head coach Sean Holley has left by “mutual agreement” and director of rugby Scott Johnson has brought forward his departure.

Moving the other way is former player and until now head coach at Bridgend, Steve Tandy, who takes over the reins from the outgoing Holley.

Tandy, 32, will be assisted by current forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys with their first game in charge together this Friday at home against Aironi in the RaboDirect Pro12.

The changes came around 24 hours after it was revealed Holley, who had been with the Ospreys for nine years, was on his way out.

New head coach Tandy has also been a part of the Ospreys set-up since the inception of regional rugby in 2003, making the first of his 102 appearances against Leinster at Donnybrook. His last was against Edinburgh in March 2010.

The former back-rower began his coaching career with the Ospreys age-grade teams and he led the under-16s to the WRU Regional Age Grade Championship before joining Bridgend, who he took back into the Premiership last season.

“This is an excellent opportunity for me and I’m really excited about the challenges ahead,” he said. “Clearly there’s an air of expectation on whoever is in charge at the Ospreys, but having been here since the very beginning I know what to expect.

“I enjoyed taking charge of the team during the LV= Cup and I’m confident in my ability to be able to make a success of this opportunity. It’s a tough job, but I share the Ospreys ambitions and want to be able to play my part in us achieving those ambitions.

“Initially, my focus will be on attempting to finish this season on a high. We are in a good position in the PRO12 with eight games to go, and the target is for us to achieve a home semi-final.

“We want to maintain both our position as the leading Welsh region and our proud record in the competition, which I was fortunate enough to win three times as a player. I know I’ve got the support of the players, staff and directors at the Ospreys and hope that the fans will also be behind me, starting on Friday night.”

The Ospreys praised Holley for his contribution to the region but managing director Mike Cuddy added it was time to “freshen things up”.

He said: “Sean is in agreement with us that in order to move forward professionally, he too is now in a position where he needs a new challenge.

“And by moving on with immediate effect, it allows both him and the Ospreys to draw a clear line under the past and move forward with a fresh impetus.”

The region’s failure to go beyond the last eight of the Heineken Cup has come under much scrutiny in recent years, as has the resulting departures of Welsh internationals James Hook, Mike Phillips and Lee Byrne.

Holley now wants to recharge his batteries before thinking about finding a new job. In a statement, the 41-year-old said: “It’s going to be a very different way of life and a difficult one at first. I guess I’ve become part of the furniture.

“However that has also become part of the issue and I’ve done a lot of on field coaching as well as off-field work during this job. I have a young family to consider so it’s time I took a bit of a break from it and recharge myself.”

As part of the Ospreys coaching set-up, Holley and Johnson led the club to the inaugural Magners League play-off final in 2010 where they beat Leinster in Dublin.

As for Johnson, he will prepare to join Scotland as Andy Robinson’s assistant, a role he was originally expected to take up at the end of the current season.

“After extensive discussions, Scott has offered to step down from his post now rather than at the end of the season, and we have agreed to release him from the remaining terms of his contract,” said Ospreys chief operating officer Andrew Hore.

“It was a gesture that he has made for the good of the Ospreys business and is typical of the way he has continuously put the region first during his three years as director of coaching.”

Following Tandy’s appointment, Bridgend flanker Ben Rose will step up as the club’s interim head coach until the end of the season, assisted by backs coach Craig Warlow and forwards coach Richard Lancaster.