Laurie Fisher to finish ACT Brumbies coaching career at end of Super season

In news that will shock the Canberra rugby community, Fisher says it's the right time to move away from the ACT Brumbies. The club will now chase a fairytale finish for one of the most popular figures in the game.

The Brumbies will announce the change on Sunday morning - perfectly timed for a man better known as "Lord Laurie" - and the coaching group will tell the players when they return to training after having a bye this weekend.

It's understood the Brumbies offered Fisher an opportunity to coach for as long as he desired at an off-season meeting, but Fisher decided it was time to move on.

"You get to a certain age and it's just about moving on from here," Fisher said.

"The organisation and the group need an opportunity to, if they want to, take it in a different direction. They told me I could stay here as long as I would like.

"But in the end, you think maybe it's time to give other people an opportunity and see what happens.

"It's my intention to find opportunities to stay involved in the game, but I'm not looking for a full-time opportunity. I'd like to find ways to give back, maybe by helping the next generation.

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"But in terms of the Brumbies, this time it feels final. At this age, there's no return now. So you say, well, time's up here."

Fisher will celebrate his 65^th birthday on Anzac Day and has spent the past 25 years carving out a successful career as a coach, including a stint as Brumbies head coach and time with Munster and Gloucester abroad before coming back to the capital.

He was the first Canberra-born coach of the Brumbies and has left an indelible mark on the game at all levels since taking on a Brumby Runners coaching job in 1998.

His bucket hat, flowing God-like locks and shorts - even through the coldest of winters - have become as recognisable as the Brumbies logo around the rugby world. The club is already planning a Fisher tribute at one of their final home games of the season.

Fisher has been mulling over his future for several months after speaking with head coach Stephen Larkham and chief executive Phil Thomson in the off-season.

He was called into Wallabies camp at the end of last year and was set to be part of his first World Cup campaign before Dave Rennie was sacked and Eddie Jones overhauled the national team coaching staff.

Ultimately, Fisher decided the Brumbies were well-placed and it was time for him to change his workload to allow him to spend more time with his first grandchild and the rest of his family.

"It's just about recognising that perhaps I've done as much as I can [at the Brumbies]," Fisher said.

"And what is the right time to leave? I think we're in a really healthy position. If you look at the last three or four years I think the organisation and the team and the continuity has been superb.

"So, in a lot of ways, it's a great time to step away - when the team is firing and performing well.

"I'm a high-energy coach and it doesn't get any easier. The days and the years don't get any shorter. I turn 65 on Tuesday and all of those things now, with my first grandchild is it time to get time back to my family. There's a whole combination of things. It's just reassessing where you're at in life and making decisions."

Fisher was a star player long before he was a coach. He was a hooker for ANU and captained the side for seven years, culminating in a premiership triumph in his final year in 1992.

He was a PE teacher for a decade, which is probably why his booming voice echoes around the field when he flicks the switch and goes into coaching mode these days.

His first Brumbies opportunity came in 1998 when he was the Brumby Runners coach before he started full-time employment as the club's academy coach in 2000.

By 2003 he was the Brumbies' Super Rugby forwards coach and he moved into the top job in 2005 as the first Canberra-born head coach of the club. He was in charge of a golden generation of players, including Larkham, George Gregan, George Smith and Stirling Mortlock.

He had three years as head coach before moving to Munster. He returned in 2012 when Jake White came calling, but had another stint overseas at Gloucester for three years before returning to Canberra again in 2018.

"I've been blessed to be involved in the game and in this organisation in a place where I was born," Fisher said.

"To be the first Canberra-born head coach of this team was a great honour. In professional sport you get judged every week ... I think most years I've been here we've had successful seasons. I've been involved in maybe one losing season in 15 or 16 seasons.

"I'm proud of my contribution here and my record over a long period of time. And I'm proud of my ability to stay relevant, to stay current, to change, develop and learn. I reckon I step away now coaching now as good, if not better, than I've ever coached in my life."

It's understood the Brumbies and Rugby Australia are keen to keep Fisher involved in the game, potentially working in to develop future stars and also helping to mentor coaches.

The Brumbies have also already moved to fill the giant hole Fisher will leave, recruiting former ACT and Wallabies captain Ben Mowen to the forwards coaching role from 2024.

"I'm open to opportunities, but what I'm not looking for is full-time employment," Fisher said.

"What I'd love to do is to keep an involvement in the game. What that looks like or means, I don't know. But I'm not stepping away from the game completely.

"I'll do something with [the Uni-North Owls] when the time is right and be out at the stadium as a supporter.

"I'm just really grateful to the Brumbies for what they've done for me over a long period. To work with great players and learn from them, I'm just proud to finish on this note. To have the team in a good place for the next generation. I think there's a really good springboard for success."

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