Elwood to take over Connacht job

[McCloud]

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 16:10
Elwood to take charge in Connacht


Rugby: Eric Elwood is expected to be named as Connacht coach for next season within the next 24 hours. Connacht have called a press conference for 11.30am tomorrow morning where Elwood is due to be announced as the successor to the outgoing Michael Bradley.



Bradley signalled his intention to stand down after seven years in charge last November and Elwood, who has worked as his assistant coach for the last four and a half seasons, is set to be handed the reins tomorrow.


It is expected that Elwood will only be awarded a one-year deal due to the unpopular IRFU policy of only permitting one-year contracts for those already on the province’s books.smileys/sad.gif


The former Ireland international made 168 appearances for the province over 17 seasons, between 1989 and 2005, and has also coached the Irish under-20s side since retiring as a player.

[banjaxed]

Pfffff one year contract bloody nora thats gonna go a long way in helping him establish any sort of new set upsmileys/confused.gif


Will he be enough of a change from Bradley to help move the team on?

[davidos]

Yes its a crappy policy.

I think Elwood will deliver better results.

[LLCOOLJ14]

its been known for a while he was only offered 1 yr- and understandably wasnt happy with it- hence the delay in naming him...

[McCloud]

No idea, don't know how much influence he had under Bradley regarding team selection & tactics. Pretty amazing that once the son-in-law rides of into the sunset after 7 years Connacht contracts all go to 1 year.....


BTW anyone know what Bradley is going to be doing next season?

[swfc]

wasnt elwood assistant coach for last few years so he was part of the underachiving management team. thought they would have gone for an outsider.with fresh ideas.could do worse than niall o'donovan who i heard had applied for the job.

[Benji]

Word is that Bradley and Elwood arent much liked by the
players and that its the same old story again. Pity they
couldnt get someone else but who in their right mind

Played against him his a gent but he has a big job ahead of
him.

[davidos]

wasnt elwood assistant coach for last few years so he
was part of the underachiving management team. thought they would
have gone for an outsider.with fresh ideas.could do worse than niall
o'donovan who i heard had applied for the job.


Maybe best to develop Irish coaches too? Sure, Munster looked for an
outsider and only went with Deccie through lack of options...he did
alright for himself...

[lahinch_lass]

Elwood did a decent job with the u20's in the past so I figure he should at least be given a decent chance... but he does need a good forward coach with him.

[hooke]

Good luck to him hope he's no the last professional coach of Connacht...hopeget s the support he badly needs...doubt it though

[Clubman]

No idea, don't know how much influence he had under Bradley regarding team selection & tactics. Pretty amazing that once the son-in-law rides of into the sunset after 7 years Connacht contracts all go to 1 year.....


BTW anyone know what Bradley is going to be doing next season?

Don't know McCloud, but as soon as his retirement was announced both Munster and Leinster fairly rushed to sign their own choices of coach. Just in case like.

[bosh12]

dare I say the easy cheap option

[The Outlaw]

Re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Probably the last professional coach of Connacht.


With a mandate of hiring people on one year contracts from the IRFU the only players that will sign for a coach on a 1 year deal are the ones nobody else wants. So can't see results improving. In fact they will probably get worse.

[Allez Les Rouges]

Am genuinely sorry for Connacht and its predicament. Hard to take a medium term view as a coach when you are also "hamstrung" by one year contracts. It will then be very difficult to lure "development type" players to Connacht. Sean Cronin only found his feet someway through year 1 and it is this year, year 2 ,that he has blossomed into a fine hooker. It does take time to nail down a first team place from an incumbent.Perhaps Fionn Carr and Ian Keatley did make the team in year 1 in Connacht but it is a big ask, particularly for a young forward.


Perhaps the view that should have been taken was that all NIQ players for Connacht should be given 1 year contracts with options and this would ensure that poorer quality players did not block the path to progress of young Irish Development players who could at least have been offered two year contracts. Surely a 23 year old tight head should be encouraged to continue in the game in the hope that he makes it two or three years later. But we are culling too quickly in certain positions (like props )where it does not make sense.


Also, could selected academy players from the three other players be asked/encouraged to go West to get game time at a senior level? Cronin's example could encourage some as it is hard to see Leinster and Munster and ,I'm sure its the same in Ulster, being able to accommodate them all. There are some "late" developers who will not make their provincial teams in their early 20s. Hagan in Connacht is a good example of someone who would not have made the Leinster bench and may not have made their A team and yet he looks like a good prospect at prop. Archer and Ryan and Kilcoyne could also be in a similar category.


Some very good players came out of Connacht. Ray McLoughlin andCiaran Fitzgerald were outstanding captains. One forgets that Geoghegan, Curtin and Staines(exiles) all played for Connacht 9admittedly in a different era when the game was amateur)and as far as I remember John O'Driscoll and Barry O'Driscoll also wore the Connacht colours. Elwood and Mannion were recent caps and in the 50s and 60s there were O Sullivan and Cheevers and Maguire who represented Ireland. Indeed I almost forgot Mick Leahy and Mick Molloy. Connacht should be able to produce strong forwards, just like those instanced, who would be assets to any Irish team. If Kerry can produce Moss Keane and Mick Galway and Mick Doyle from a small village like Currow, then there is no reason to believe that similar players cannot be found in the villages of Galway, Mayo , Roscommon, Leitrim and Sligo. But resources need to be given and it does take time. The strength of rugby in the smaller towns/villages in Tipperary and Limerick show that it can be done. Portumna can throw up more John Muldoons and likewise Ballinasloe its McLoughlins and Woodford its Leahy.


I do have every sympathy for Connacht, having spent some formative years living there and also in having a Roscommon born father. I believe all rugby fans should support the existence of the 4th Province in RUGBY. Ireland will be all the poorer if we drop down to having only three professional teams. We would also be cutting off a development side for the Big Three.


Appointing a coach for one year is ridiculous. As it stands , he is left with the legacy of the previous coach and he can now only recruit on one year contracts. I think Eric will have to look for another miracle at Knock or he will be on the dole queue next year!

[John123]

Sure aren't Strings and Quinny heading up there as player coaches next season?!?

[Borders no.2]

Elwoodwas a shoo in for the job whether he was the most suitable candidate or not but in a local paper here today we have our CEO saying the one year contracts aren't going to significantlyaffect us which shows what cloud he's living on even if he is putting a brave face to the situation.


<S&#079;NG>Connacht Sentinal
</S&#079;NG>Sport
<S&#079;NG>Kelly kicks concerns to touch</S&#079;NG>

Connacht CEO says fears unfounded
Darragh McDonagh

The CEO of Connacht Rugby has rejected claims that contract restrictions imposed by the IRFU have acted as a stumbling block in appointing a new coach by announcing that Michael Bradley’s successor will be revealed within the next 24 hours.

Gerry Kelly said that the recent decision by the IRFU to sanction only one-year contracts for playing and coaching staff had not had any significant repercussions for the province.

<S&#079;NG>“The decision has not had any major impact,” he said. “There is a review taking place across all four provinces and we are not unduly concerned. The new coach will only be offered a one-year contract but, in the modern economic climate, we do not foresee that as being a problem.”</S&#079;NG>

A governance and operations review of the professional game in Connacht is currently being conducted with a view to identifying ways in which the game can be made more sustainable in the province in future.

A similar project has just been completed in Ulster, and the outcome of the IRFU review in Connacht is expected shortly, though the CEO played down the importance of its findings and emphasised the importance of maximising attendance at Connacht’s remaining home games.

“We’re not privy to what happened with the review in Ulster but the most important thing for us is that we keep getting more people through the gates for the six remaining home fixtures – that’s the bottom line,” said Kelly.

Bradley made the announcement that he would be stepping down from his position as early as last November after seven years at the helm. Speculation has been rife that his assistant, Eric Elwood would be named as his successor but the IRFU-imposed ceiling on the length of contracts had been seen as a possible stumbling block.

It would appear that this has been overcome however, as Kelly confirmed that a press conference would be held on today or tomorrow at which the new coach would be unveiled to the media.

Kelly was also keen to refute rumours which had been circulated in recent days, suggesting that members of the committee were considering the possibility of abandoning Connacht’s professional status after next season in order to save the province an estimated €2.5 million a year.

Moves by the IRFU to remove the professional status of the province eight years ago were abandoned after vehement resistance by supporters who marched on Lansdowne Road. Kelly was quick to rubbish the rumours that circulated last week.

[McCloud]

Time for the West to awake, declares new boss Elwood
By John Fallon


Thursday, March 04, 2010



NEW Connacht coach Eric Elwood, who will take over from Michael Bradley at the end of the season, said the side need to show ambition and raise the bar if they are to progress.


And the former Irish international, who was unveiled as the new coach of the western province at the Sportsground yesterday, said that he would be challenging players to bring Connacht up to a new level.


"It is a big challenge but I’m looking forward to it. I never stood back from a challenge before.


"We have got to change the mindset but we will only change it with results. To achieve that, we need everything right on and off the field," said Elwood, who has been appointed for one season only because of an ongoing review of Connacht by the IRFU.


The chief executive of Connacht Rugby, Gerry Kelly, said that the review of the region was primarily to find a sustainable model for the province and that the process should be viewed as a positive step.


"The timing of the review and the renewing of contracts dictated that contract extensions are just for a year, but what is being worked at here is a sustainable plan into the future.


"We are working closely with the union to achieve this and there are areas, such as spectator facilities at the Sportsground, which are part of it," said Kelly.


Elwood, who brought the curtain down on a 17-year playing career in 2005 and has been assistant coach to Bradley since, said that he was aware of the ongoing discussions between Connacht and the IRFU.


"The branch went to the union and they are working hard together. We need to make sure Connacht is one of four provinces and not a situation where it is three plus one," said Elwood.


"Professional sport comes down to money and we need to make sure we are in a position to challenge," said the 41-year old.


Elwood said he would bring plenty of passion to the job. But he admitted: "That’ll only get you so far. You need the back-up staff, the support off the field and a good rapport with the players. We will continue to bring young players through from the province and from all over Ireland and if they are good enough, they will get their chance.


"I saw it when I was playing we were often treated as second-class citizens.


"We need to show ambition, take it forward and challenge each other. We need to get off the bottom of that bloody table.


"It can be small things, like fighting back if we go 10 points behind and making sure we at least leave a game with a bonus point. Everyone has to challenge each other and we will get results if we raise the bar," said Elwood, who made 168 appearances for Connacht.


He said that the people of Galway and Connacht needed to come out and support the side in greater numbers.


"There are about 2,000 diehards there who are as good supporters as any team has but we need to increase that number and get more people behind the team.


"There is a lot to be done on and off the pitch but I am really looking forward to it.


"I got into coaching towards the end of my playing career and I am grateful to Brads (Michael Bradley) for giving me the opportunity to get involved at this level.


"I have learned a lot over the past four or five years and am really looking forward to it, but there is a lot of rugby to be played this season and that is what we will be concentrating on now," added Elwood.



This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, March 04, 2010