Long-serving Kear steps down as Wales head coach

John Kear has led Wales as head coach since 2014

John Kear has stepped down as Wales head coach after more than a decade in charge.

Appointed in 2014, the 70-year-old guided the team to successive World Cups in 2017 and the delayed 2021 tournament held in 2022, as well as leading Wales to the 2015 European Championship title.

Mark Moxon, 44, Kear's assistant coach since 2014, has also decided to end his time with Wales' men's rugby league side.

Kear said he had been "incredibly proud to lead Wales".

"The international camps have been highlights of each and every year, and that is down to the many players and staff members that I've shared those experiences with," he added.

"I leave with some fantastic memories and I'd like to thank everyone who played their part in those.

"I'd like to thank the board at Wales Rugby League for their support over the years, and I wish James Davies, Richard Hibbard and Clive Griffiths every success as they lead the ongoing fight against the odds to keep such a proud nation competing on the international stage."

Kear took over with Wales at a low ebb, having lost all three of their games in the 2014 European Championship.

Although his tenure was marked by having limited numbers of players from top clubs to select from, Kear made his Wales sides both competitive and respected - by opponents and fans alike.

The former Widnes, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Sheffield, Hull and Bradford boss will now concentrate on leading Batley Bulldogs, having returned to his former side in June as interim head coach until the end of the 2025 season - succeeding Moxon.

Wales Rugby League chief executive Hibbard said: "Both John and Mark have made an incredible contribution to Wales Rugby League for over a decade.

"After a disappointing 2013 World Cup campaign, they came into the coaching roles and had a big task ahead of them. To transform the team from bottom of the pile to European champions within 12 months is testament to their coaching credentials.

"To qualify for successive World Cups is no mean feat. In 2022, the performances they were able to produce from a squad of almost exclusively part-time players is once again a credit to them both, their ability to motivate and inspire.

"I know they are both proud Yorkshiremen but they really embraced what it meant to represent our country and we owe them a great deal for what they've done."

After Wales missed out on the chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Hibbard says attention will now turn to finding a coach who can lead the squad into the next World Cup cycle.

"We must now look to the future and the challenge of being World Cup ready by 2030," Hibbard added.

"Thanks to the efforts of those involved in our junior pathways, there are now more than 40 players in Super League scholarship and academy systems, plus the likes of Charlie Glover, Finley Yates and Sam Grice in first-team squads looking to make their mark.

"The process of appointing a new head coach begins immediately as we look towards fixtures in the autumn."