Who gives a crap what age he was?

So to get a few things straight mitre 10 is not some crap level. It's a level below super rugby which is more similar to champions cup rugby than anything else. It's quite close to pro14 standard. He turned Tasman around and had them competing in finals in that.

No idea why you would also discount his time as assistant coach of a very successful New Zealand super rugby team. Coaching jobs in NZ super rugby are not easy to get.

Always felt he looked uncomfortable in the media. I'm not sure how important that is in the overall context of things.

From his first interview on TG4 I couldn't warm to the man. Did he not realise when talking to TG4 he was taking to the fans, the people of the province? Also TG4 have been big cheerleaders for us when no one else was. I lost count of the times I bumped into Pat Lam in different places around the province. Always promoting, growing rugby. KK didn't seem to buy into that. It is not that long ago when we used to have 200 people at the Sportsground and Connacht Rugby have done a fabulous job growing the Sport/Brand over the last few years. It is really important that this aspect of the job is understood by the Head Coach. Back when I was in school the Senior Cup had The Bish, Garbally, Sligo Grammar and the Jes (I'm probably missing someone!). Connacht Rugby as a whole has moved on big time due to all the work at grass roots and a grumpy old sod at the top does not help this work. We will never have the resources of others, but we can compete if we are united and that is what is needed from the top down. Performances on the field this year were also a shambles. The result against Leinster actually shines a light on how bad they were.

Apologies.......rant over.......he's probably a nice man in person but he's no good for Connacht Rugby.

PS I'm not a proper Rugby head, just someone that pops in now and then to support the local team be it Galway Utd, Connacht Rugby, GAA etc. That is my perspective!

stos wrote: Rumour has it a lot of player dissatisfaction, he called out guys after Ospreys game which did not go down well. Hope there's a replacement ready to come in.

Think our squad as a collective needs a kick up the hole, but it’d be better coming from a Cockerill-type behind close doors than in the media.

He was 63 and most of his head coaching experience came with the Tasman Makos in NZ level 2 club rugby.

Rumour has it a lot of player dissatisfaction, he called out guys after Ospreys game which did not go down well. Hope there's a replacement ready to come in.

RoadRunnerR1 wrote: Since that's your criteria for selection then why limit yourself. Make a list of everyone that lives down the road and send it to CBIRFU. I'm sure there's a real world class coach hiding under our very noses and you could be the one to unearth him.

I'm fairly sure Overstrander and Pinky were being ironical about Bringing Dagger Back. Though if it were somehow to happen, I've got the title for the season documentary. It's actually quite refreshing that the KK firing is nearly 24 hours in the media eye without a single eejit shilling for Eddie. Mind you, Triminjus has yet to have his spake on the matter, so there's still hope...

There's really nothing surprising about Eddie not getting the job, he had a huge falling out with the IRFU and his only decent level coaching experience in the past decade was overseeing Biarritz get demoted. I'm as big a fan of Eddie's analysis and commentary as the next man but come on.

Dunno where the idea that KK was somehow an underqualified candidate is coming from either, he had a very impressive CV coming in.

He burnt a lot of bridges in Connacht rugby tbf

The fact Eddie a former pretty successful national coach can't seem to get a gig as even a backs coach somewhere is quite something

Not saying he should be a shoe in for connacht job but fact he as a de facto Galway man can't even get an interview when they go and hire a lad with no Head coach experience at any real level who is from the other side of the world with no links to connacht and 64 years of age is frankly bizarre.

overstrander wrote:

RoadRunnerR1 wrote:

overstrander wrote: Can't believe I'm the first to suggest it, but Eddie O'Sullivan lives just down the road.

The Words Frying Pan and Fire come straight to mind. The guys address cannot be a criteria for the job. Ask yourself why it seems clear he's never even been considered when positions became vacant at Leinster, Munster and Ulster or before the appointments of Lam and KK. We cannot afford another mistake or all the great work done under Lam's tenure will all be undone.

But he doesn't live down the road from Leinster, Munster and Ulster.

Since that's your criteria for selection then why limit yourself. Make a list of everyone that lives down the road and send it to CBIRFU. I'm sure there's a real world class coach hiding under our very noses and you could be the one to unearth him.

Probably didn’t help that he didn’t get a chance to bring in his own unit coaches.

Betty Swallocks wrote: It's being speculated elsewhere that Keane's sacking has David Nucifora's fingerprints all over it and that Ruane and Allnutt weren't even party to the decision. Not sure how true that is, but Nucifora is rated on there being four competitive Irish teams feeding into the national side and Ulster's and Connacht's struggles this season have now led to Kiss and Keane being fired.

I wonder if he's being offered up/offering himself up as the fall guy for a lot of these decisions. Ulster (between coaches and NIQ players), the outhalves at Leinster, KK, Zebo at Munster etc. all being put on him to a greater of lesser extent, is he the designated non-Irish scapegoat?

I'd agree that he probably wasn't the decision maker, but I'd imagine that sign off from the IRFU would have been required.

TBH most of us are going off what we've read in the papers, and/or grumblings of some nature that some of us have heard. Unless either the Branch or KK breaks silence, and chances are neither are legally entitled to do so at the moment, we're all more or less in speculation land. No doubt the truth will out at some stage (look at Linleys interview with Mils this season!).

its not DN's job to go around firing coaches. He'll assist connacht in looking for a successor no doubt, but he isn't the trigger man if one of the provinces likes their coach.

Well then there are two completely different narratives. If Nucifora is behind it it almost certainly had nothing to do with his relationship with the community, players or branch.

They didn't even speak to Jackman last year when he was coming off a bad season at Grenoble but had had a lot of relative success before that and had them playing a cracking style. (Remember the Connacht game over there?)

if they didn't talk to him then there are two hopes they try to buy him out of a contract in Newport after 2 wins from 22 - No hope and Bob Hope