Australian coach Robbie Abel coached in MLR between 2021-2026. He has coached with the Utah Warriors (2021-2025) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026), both as an Assistant Coach.

The older brother of Chicago Hounds forward Charlie Abel, Robbie was an accomplished hooker in his playing career. He represented the Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels, and Waratahs in Super Rugby, as well as Northland and Auckland in New Zealand’s NPC, and Perth Spirit and the Canberra Vikings in Australia’s NRC in a playing career that spanned 2013-2021. Abel has also represented the Māori All Blacks a handful of times during their 2018 tour of the USA and South America.

In 2021, Abel joined the Utah Warriors coaching staff as Forwards Coach under Head Coach Shawn Pittman, a role that he occupied from 2021-2022 before becoming Utah Warriors Assistant Coach under Greg Cooper in 2022. Abel served as Assistant Coach from 2022 until Greg Cooper stepped away from the Warriors following a successful 2025 campaign, and on July 1st, 2025, the Utah Warriors named Robbie Abel as Head Coach for the 2026 campaign. Unfortunately for Abel, the Utah Warriors withdrew from Major League Rugby in November 2025 but on 23rd December, 2025, the Seattle Seawolves announced that Robbie Abel had joined the organisation as Forwards Coach for the 2026 season.