Cron to take over Western Force at end of season

Simon Cron will take over from Tim Sampson as Western Force coach at the end of the Super Rugby season, the team said on Monday.

Cron, the nephew of New Zealand scrum consultant Mike Cron and a former coach of Australia's under-20 side, has signed a two-year deal with the Perth team.

He is currently coach of Japanese team Toyota Verblitz, where former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is the club's director of rugby.

"Simon is one of world rugby's most talented young coaches whose philosophy is to make better rugby players, both on and off the field," Force owner and billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest said in a statement.

"Simon's leadership and technical knowledge of the game will be welcomed by the player and coaching team at the Force, as it builds to be a true powerhouse in world rugby."

The Force (2-4) lie seventh in the 12-team competition after a 39-38 defeat at home to the leading ACT Brumbies during round six action over the weekend.