I'm pretty happy to hear names that are being considered. This means there is a process. No rush, get it right.
Sure isn't Eddie O Sullivan only up the road. 🤣
Lads be serious, Eric is managing the Academy, Millard is coming in. Muldoon and Collie are there. We aren't hiring Bradley for 3 days never mind 3 months.
Wonder what Mike Forshaw's future holds given the chaos at the WRU?
If we are asking Millard to be the Manager (Head Coach), I don't think he wants that job any more than Elwood would like it back.
The question is, who picks the team… IT as simple as that, that person then does the media, manages the players, manages the coaches… They are effectively in charge, the buck stops with them…
Simple solution is to have Jarad as manager or defence coach and hire a manager or defence coach… Jarad might like to be defence coach, he has done both and might much prefer working with the players closer and less stress… It depends on the person…
Seanin,
I was saying it as if we need to fill a gap(3 months)… We are starting next year with no coaches and just keep the shop window open…
He would still be better than what we have gone thru for the last 2 years..
That might be there plan… But we are due to get two coaches as per IRFU standard set up… Pete severely suffered trying to double job, I don't think we should be going down the same path…
Andy Friend didn't take a single coaching session while in charge of Connacht… He was the Manager (Head coach), it is best to have someone in that hands off role in a professional setup… Andy was the manager of the coaches, in charge of the team, media, escalation for all team matters and shoulder for the players to talk too…
It seems to be optimal in professional outfits to have separate roles for actual coaches and managers and very hard to be the same person…
Also Defence (or Attack) coach os a big job in professional rugby… Would be easier to be kicking or lineout coach and Manager (still not ideal)…
Even look at the Welsh sides who are starved for cash… They all have named defence coaches.. the job is that big…
https://www.cardiffrugby.wales/first-team/management/
I would agree that this could be done. Will Millards new role take some of the load from the head coach ? If so then it might be the way to go. Does then free up some money for signings ?
I just had to logon when someone mentioned Bradley - literallly are you serious? Look at his track record, he was as bad as where we are now!
Scarlets have one of the better defences in the league which is impressive considering the Welsh regions are operating on a shoestring. I imagine the plan would be for Payne to double job as head coach with responsibility for defence also.
He is still at scarletts..
https://www.scarlets.wales/rugby-management/
I am growing towards him, he just makes a lot of sense… I would give him a free hand as much as possible… If we want to hold him to account , he has to be given the responsibility…
I never got the feeling that Pete had hire and fire abilities with the coaches… You do with Murphy in Ulster…
According to Wikipedia he was with Scarlets in 2023 and doesn't currently have any listed coaching position but I don't know if he's coaching somewhere and it's just not been updated
Forgot that thanks
Wouldn't mind Payne heading things up. Is he still with Clermont?
Na… They replaced him with Willie Faloon in Febuary….
Are Ulster still looking for a replacement for Bell aswell?
Got fair bit experience from various levels inside Leinster and Ireland…. I don't know them from Adam but I get a nicer feeling from Jarad, he has done reasonably well in every job and I could see him settling in Galway.
Hugh Hogan stepping down as defence coach of the women's team. Interesting to see where he is going.
Jarad Payne seems a more solid choice… Has definitely got the experience…
He was in charge of Clermont halfway through the season (22/23) and he brought them from loosing record of (5 -8 -1) (under Gibbs) to a (6-6-0)… That is respectable and good considering he was handed the team mid season…
In the Indo that Jared Payne is one of the candidates for the Connacht head coach job. Connacht also looking in the Australian market for candidates.
More I think about it… The coaching team were under so much pressure they closed in and just picked with very little trust…
It makes more sense… Very stressed and going with what they know rather than any deviation or experiment…
It very quickly turns the team into a quagmire, competition is limited, gameplay becomes predictable… It maybe a possibility on what happened…
If I was Ulster I would look at Blade… They need a senior head in that position at the moment… Devine is learning his game and the pressure of being Number 1 at a province trying to rebuild might not be the right fit… IMHO
Porch as well was completely frozen out.
Farrell was let go from our squad… Wilkins didn't play him and was considered surplus to requirements… He was fit for the last four months for Connacht and Wilkins didn't play him….
I would say the same about Smith, his face didn't fit either.
Killgallen you are totally right about, Munster were light in back 3 and more game time available there… Unlucky with injury…
Niall Murray started 5 out 7 games R2 to R9 URC and has only played 16 min in 2025… That is hard to explain… He is a thousand min a year man for the previous 3 seasons…
The coaching set up we had seemed to have players fall out of favour and just put in the frige (a Jackman term)…
Farrell just showed how wrong that was..
More details in the last two paragraphs… Devine generates a lot of interest since Murphy has contract…
That is why I was suggesting swaps with Leinster for Murphy… Murphy could be an heir apparent for JGP, he is from Leinster and Devine is from Connacht… It would seem more natural that players play for there home province… We have a shopping list…
We need a outhalf, bulk in our pack, Full Back(sourced this week),….
I don't think we would get Murphy for Frawley. Frawley would have gone by now…
If that goes through isn't it great the irfu can force players to move around when some provinces have too many players in one position....
If someone was moving would it not have been mentioned pregame at the weekend?
Haven't they already signed Le Garrec? He's going to be their number one 9.
Jackman late to the rumour as usual. IRFU have already vetoed Devine's move to LAR, although the player himself was keen. One of our three SH's will be off to Ulster which is why the LAR move was stymied.
I met John Dobson the day before the Connacht match a couple of months ago. He told me he loves coming to Galway that it's a wonderful place. Maybe he'd be interested. 😁
He's the Stormers head coach in case you don't know.
If he signed a 3 year contract and went on loan for 1 year it might not be the worst thing.
O gara is looking for him on a one year loan, it's very much a possibility.
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