Leicester Tigers: Attack coach Rob Taylor departs on compassionate grounds

Rob Taylor joined Leicester in June having previously worked at Sydney University

Leicester Tigers have released attack coach Rob Taylor from his contract on compassionate grounds just four months after he joined the Premiership club.

New Zealand-born Taylor, 40, will return home, with academy coach Matt Smith taking the role in the interim.

Taylor was set to continue working with fellow coaches Geordan Murphy, Steve Borthwick and Mike Ford for the forthcoming 2020-21 Premiership season.

Tigers are due to start the campaign at home against Gloucester on 21 November.

"On behalf of the players, coaching team and everybody at Leicester Tigers, I thank Rob for his efforts and contribution to our club," said head coach Borthwick.

"It's been a shorter stay than we would have all hoped, but we are grateful for what he has given to Tigers and wish him well in whatever comes next."

Taylor's previous coaching experience before he moved to Leicester came mainly in Australia and New Zealand with his most recent role as director of rugby at Sydney University.

He arrived on 1 July after a reshuffle in the Tigers coaching staff, with Borthwick joining as head coach alongside Murphy, who became director of rugby. Both worked alongside Ford, former scrum coach Boris Stankovich and fellow coach Brett Deacon when the Premiership restarted in August.

Leicester won two of the nine matches they played in that time, finishing 11th for the second consecutive season. Only Saracens - deducted 106 points for salary cap breaches - finished below them.