Really worst scenario, what he said shows his lack of motivation, he failed with England, his style can't suit us better than any other, even White, and I don't want Cromwell back in Connacht

My gut/guess is that Lancaster will get the job. I'd be very happy with that outcome if it comes to be.

RogueXV wrote: I'd be happy enough with Gibbes or Ruddock on the first pass. Not sure Lancaster has completely ruled himself out. He does say "We will see how it plays out." Seems he's giving the standard answers you'd expect from a coach who is currently employed by another team.

That's why I said I "hoped" it ruled him out. I'd prefer the other two 100% times.
Saffers style is closer to what we need than the "old English style"

Ready for a new march to avoid disband in two years?

No need to fret lads I've the CV sent in we're gonna be grand

From a recruitment perspective I would like to see a decision made before the end of the month though I'm not overly excited by most of the names on the list. Seems obvious we are not going to get Lam 2.0 and, though there are plenty of quality players to work with, a new coach might take a year or two to build a squad to his liking. For that reason I would not like to see anyone come in who has designs on the Ireland job. That would leave us looking for another new coach in short order and another period of bedding in. I'd be happy enough with Gibbes or Ruddock on the first pass. Not sure Lancaster has completely ruled himself out. He does say "We will see how it plays out." Seems he's giving the standard answers you'd expect from a coach who is currently employed by another team.

connachta wrote: www.irishmirror.ie/sport/rugby-union/lei...er-distances-9399516
I hoped it was enough to rule out the Englishman

Hadn't seen that, thanks. Wonder if he would go to Leicester now?

I agree with you on Mike Ruddock - he might bring the son!

Ironically McCall imo is unproven, I'm not sure is it the resources or his coaching ability that has brought success - I think the resources - to his credit he hasn't ballsed up and seems a sober, decent guy and player values seem good in Sarries (unlike club values) but I would have always said Conor O'Sea did a better job in Quins.

I don't fancy Jackman at all. He would be a hugely underwhelming pick in my opinion.

I like Carolan but I'm not sure he's ready to make the step up.

No chance whatsoever of Holley even getting an interview after his behaviour last time round. The branch were raging with him. We can do far, far, far better anyway.

connachta wrote:

sea_point wrote: For me you can automatically scratch a few of those names for a variety of reasons, Certainly don't want a coach who isn't going to buy into the Connacht experience, regardless of success in other domestic leagues.

Jackman was 10th anyway, and may stay in Grenoble, but as "early bookmakers favourite", interested in the West in a recent interview, and ex-Connacht player, there's an outside chance I had to note
Holley is a nobody now but's that's actually him who promoted Bristol after years of failure. And Ospreys played decently with him in charge. A phone call doesn't cost us.
Aware of what you said about McCall but the fact he'd like to come back in Ireland to prepare for the "after 2019", and how he lauded Connacht in May make him move from a "absoute no chance" to a "1% chance"
White probably won't come but I totally disagree with you we desperatly need one or two more saffers to wear "wall-defences" like Munster
Agree to add Gibbs

With respect, we would need wholesale changes in personnel to adopt a South African/Munster style,
Our's is a less confrontational, probing approach that Kiwi sides employ, play at pace and try exploit the defensive weak links of slow moving forwards rather than forcibly create it.
We don't have the ball carriers currently to create the holes just by muscle alone...

If defence is the issue then we need a defence coach, not a head coach...and that might occur anyway with the arrival of a new Head Coach who may have one or two coaching personnel requirements....

Regarding Holley, you are overstating his contribution at Bristol. It took three season for them to get out of the Championship and they had by far the strongest squad of any team in the competition.
They had him on a year to year contract and then dispensed with him once they finally got up, mainly because they didn't trust his ability to get more out of the squad..

You'll note he was let go in June 2016 and there wasn't a huge queue of Teams lining him up afterwards...this is a guy who was let go or not retained by Ospreys, Scarlets and Dragons before that....

I'll be happier with him rather than Lancaster/Robinson

connachta wrote: That's exactly why I said McCall can't be 100% ruled out

Oh yes he can* (be ruled out).

While some of the arguments against him can be ignored - the end of his Ulster tenure wasn't great but he's also the last coach to win them anything, and initial impressions that he was merely Brendan Venter's pass-thru-server when he took over at Saracens have been comprehensively dismissed - the fact remains that Saracens' recent success is built on a debt mountain the size of the IRFU's annual turnover.

Sarries fiscal management makes the likes of Toulon, Bristol, and Racing look like paragons of financial rectitude: ignoring their speculated involvement in salary cap irregularities (there is a minimum 2/3 chance that they were involved) their acknowledged operating debt is over 40m GBP; they spent at least half that again on purchasing and renovating their stadium; and finally they are now looking at replacing the older of the two permanent stands at a cost of further millions, but obviously without adding capacity as they have bugger-all fans.

Expecting a coach from that environment to deliver at one of the poorest top-level teams in Europe is like booking Calvin Harris for Monroe's: in the hugely unlikely event that either agreed to slumming it, they would be revealing themselves as idiots who do not understand what they are getting themselves into.

*Apologies for the panto season reference. I'll get me coat.

Podge57 wrote: IMO the new Head Coach for Connacht MUST be a potential successor for Joe Schmidt. Anything less is a backward move by IRFU

That's exactly why I said McCall can't be 100% ruled out, he can target coaching Ireland and organize a 2-year comeback with Connacht
he lauded us so he knows Connacht has become a good team www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/connacht-...efence-34731150.html

I can't believe how silent everyone is about Mike Ruddock, the man who finally brought a Grand Slam to Wales after a 27-year wait, who is in Ireland and available (Lansdowne)

IMO the new Head Coach for Connacht MUST be a potential successor for Joe Schmidt. Anything less is a backward move by IRFU

www.irishmirror.ie/sport/rugby-union/lei...er-distances-9399516
I hoped it was enough to rule out the Englishman

Thought about Humphreys too, but has he got enough experience, does he success with Gloucester and does he want to leave? Triple no IMO