Rugby-Melbourne Rebels name Foote as head coach

(Reuters) - The Melbourne Rebels have named Kevin Foote as their new head coach with Ryan Martin as his deputy, the Super Rugby side said on Tuesday.

Foote, 42, was a long-time assistant to Dave Wessels, who stepped down in April after the Rebels failed to reach the playoffs of the Super Rugby AU competition.

"I'm very grateful for everyone at the Melbourne Rebels for giving me this great opportunity to lead a really special group of dedicated, determined young men," Foote said in a statement.

"We've got an exciting group of players, with some fantastic talent coming through, which will create good competition for spots amongst the current group."

Martin will be the Rebels' attack coach after agreeing a two-year deal.

The Rebels have re-signed a number of key players including winger Andrew Kellaway and flanker Rob Leota to two-year deals.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)