McKellar joins from Rugby Australia, where he has been assistant coach of the Wallabies since 2021 as well as head coach of Super Rugby outfit ACT Brumbies between 2018 and 2022.

He has spent much of his coaching career in Australia, though he had a brief stint in Japan with NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes.

Steve Borthwick left Leicester to take charge of England last December after guiding the Gallagher Premiership team to wins over Ospreys and ASM Clermont Auvergne in the Heineken Champions Cup pool stage.

Richard Wigglesworth has since been at the helm, leading Leicester to the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 amid another win over Clermont and a narrow defeat to Ospreys.

Wigglesworth will remain head coach until the end of the season and will be looking to take Leicester deeper into the Heineken Champions Cup knockout stage when they host Edinburgh Rugby on March 31.

McKellar, a former loosehead prop for Souths Rugby Club, had stints in Ireland and Scotland in the latter stages of his playing career but is now excited to make his first foray into English and EPCR competitions.

“This has been a big decision for me and my family, to make the move to the other side of the world together, but it is one that we are very much looking forward to doing, to be a part of a club like Leicester Tigers,” he told Tigers’ website.

“There are strong links with the community, with the supporters and knowing that I will be a part of game days at Mattioli Woods Welford Road with 25,000 people in the stands lights a fire for me.

“In the experiences I have had in the northern hemisphere, as part of tours with Australia, I have seen the passion for the game and the genuine love for the game that there is and that is what I want to be involved in.

McKellar also outlined how is team will set up next season: “The Tigers DNA is built around a combative style of rugby, with a strong set piece and defence, and that is something that I felt aligned strongly with myself.”

“As well as that, we will be a side that attack in the right areas of the field and challenge teams in the right areas of the field.”

Heineken Champions Cup side Leicester Tigers have announced that Dan McKellar will take over as head coach this summer.