Coughlan On Departure – Part 1

As he begins pre-season training with French side Pau today, we catch up with Munster favourite James Coughlan on his move to Pau, and how hard it was to leave the team he loves.

Following the announcement of his departure in May, it’s been a rollercoaster few weeks for James and his family, as they relocate both family and professional life to the South of France. Now with the move complete, the former Munster back-row knows the coming weeks will be crucial to making a good transition.

“While the rest of the team started last week, Simon (Mannix) was good enough to give me an extra week as Munster’s season finished a week later than Pau’s. The extra week was great, giving me the chance to go on holiday with the wife and kids. We’ve managed to find a house already which will be ready at the end of July so between now and then I will head over by myself, giving me a chance to get to know the team before the family arrive. I think that will be important as otherwise you can become very insular and not get to know your team mates properly.

“I can’t wait and thankfully neither can the kids. There’s still the natural stress that comes with moving house, with all of us pulling each other’s hair out, but it’s all positive. The club have been excellent, evening organising French lessons for all the family.”

Deciding to leave the province was undoubtedly an agonising decision for the Dolphin RFC man. How does he feel now that the move is complete?

“Aoibhinn’s graduation from pre-school was only last week, followed by Finn’s last day at school, both of which naturally brought some tears to our eyes. However those events represented the closing of one chapter, and now with that done, we’re very excited to be opening new chapter in our lives this week. Also, my daughter Elsie’s christening was on last Saturday which was a brilliant metaphor, representing new beginnings.”

James will be joined in Pau by two former members of the Munster backroom staff. Former Backs Coach, Simon Mannix takes up the role of Director of Rugby at Pau while former Munster Assistant Performance Analyst, Elliot Corcoran becomes Head Performance Analyst for the French outfit. While existing friends will make the move easier, the Corkman feels it’s important to put his own unique stamp on life in France.

“Undoubtedly it’s great to have some people you know already, but that said it’s important not to buddy up too much. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of those who know each other sticking together, and you yourself not getting to know anyone new, the language or the culture. Garrett (Fitzgerald) gave me the same great advice that he gave Doug Howlett when he came to Munster – this has to be a life move, not just a rugby move – and that’s how we are looking at it. I’m going to try from minute one to leave English behind me and get to grips with French as quickly as I can.

“What will make it easier for me is that I will have 30 mates as soon as I land, 30 people I can go for a cup of tea with. Katri and the kids won’t have that luxury, however once school starts and they get to know more people, it won’t be long before we have our own little family community.”

James went on to tell us the reasoning behind his decision, a decision which in the end came about very quickly.

“All I ever wanted to do was play for Munster. For sure there was times when you had to weigh up your options professionally, but deep down I always wanted to stay and play in a victorious Heineken Cup final. It’s disappointing that we didn’t go on and win one on my watch.

"The offer came from France and with it being a World Cup year, and me not getting on different Ireland squads, it became clear that I wasn’t being considered for England 2015. I had a chat with Axel, Garrett and Simon all of whom were very supportive and coupled with the fact I want to do coaching in the future, it represented a great opportunity for me, especially with the opportunity of 30 professional teams in France. Having played here for as long as I have, you want to bring that experience with you in hopefully getting promoted from D2, leading to a good career path down the line.”

Coming late to professional rugby, impressive performances for his AIL club side Dolphin RFC earned the then 26 year old a development contract with Munster at the start of the 2006/07 season.

“The first couple of years I spent trying to develop myself physically, because once you can match a guy physically then you have the platform for your skills to shine through. I was fortunate to have a fantastic coach in Laurie (Fisher) who was able to sit me down and give me numerous foolscap pages of notes on a regular basis which I would then take home and work on, allowing me to do that bit extra on my own, helping me kick on to the next level. That’s not to say that other coaches didn’t help me massively as well, but it was under his watch that my transition from the player I was to the player I am now took place.

“You also have to look at the likes of Dave O’Mahony coming into Dolphin after I broke both my legs. Tomas O’Leary had just signed for the club and Dave gave me the heads up that certain members of the Munster coaching staff would be coming to look at Tomas, so if ever there was a time to step up and put in a good performance, that was it. I managed to do that with myself and Tomas having a great relationship both on and off the field, and as they say, the rest is history.”

Check back tomorrow to MunsterRugby.ie for Part 2 of our interview, where James reflects on his fondest times in a Munster jersey, the outcry from fans over his departure, and the Irish cap that eluded him in recent seasons.

See pictures of James’ time with Munster by clicking here.