Pat Lam leaving Connacht at the end of this season, rumoured to be joining Bristol Rugby

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Confirmed on the Connacht website he will be leaving: http://www.connachtrugby.ie/#ConnachtNews

Rumoured on Off The Ball he will be coach at Bristol from start of 2016/2017.

Gutted to lose Pat, but he was bound to draw attention following Connacht performance last year. If they give him time at Bristol to build his style into the team then they will get a hell of a coach and some of the most enjoyable rugby in the Northern Hemisphere.

I imagine a few of the stars may follow him out the door, particularly Aki, but again do not begrudge anyone after all they have done on the field and building the club off it.

Can't blame Lam for leaving if the figures of €750k are correct. Its a blow for Connacht but lets see how they go. Theres a good base to build on there.

How much would Cullen/Erasmu/Kiss be on?

Both his grandfather and father have had heart attacks. Axel's death was the catalyst for the move as he has a wife and five kids.

Golden wrote:How much would Cullen/Erasmu/Kiss be on?

I'd make a guess that Erasmus is highest - as buy-ins tend to be.
I'd assume Cullen's salary would be reasonable enough because Leinster in a sense are giving him as much assistance as he is giving Leinster. They gave him a head coaching role when it's unlikely he would have walked into such a role in any other club in Europe. So they're providing him with a career foundation stone, and I'd say they were business-like enough to remind him of that when discussing his asking price.
Kiss, although he has a lot more coaching experience than Cullen, it doesn't seem he was headhunted by external club sides when he was preparing to leave the International role. I think he's quite comfortable where he is and doesn't seem to have the kind of globetrotting ambitions of other coaches. So I'd assume he's in the reasonable pricing range too.

I think all three of them would be quite a bit off Lam's Bristol figure.

Sin é wrote:Both his grandfather and father have had heart attacks. Axel's death was the catalyst for the move as he has a wife and five kids.  

?

Are we saying you're more likely to suffer a heart attack in Connacht than in Bristol?

No - I get what you mean Sin. Lam doesn't want to be blunt but he's saying he did look at the new offer and it's a quicker route to security for his family. Nobody can blame him.

I would say though that the kind of fame he enjoyed in the West would have ensured he and his family would always have been looked after regardless of salary.

SecretFly wrote:

Golden wrote:How much would Cullen/Erasmu/Kiss be on?

I'd make a guess that Erasmus is highest - as buy-ins tend to be.
I'd assume Cullen's salary would be reasonable enough because Leinster in a sense are giving him as much assistance as he is giving Leinster.  They gave him a head coaching role when it's unlikely he would have walked into such a role in any other club in Europe.  So they're providing him with a career foundation stone, and I'd say they were business-like enough to remind him of that when discussing his asking price.
Kiss, although he has a lot more coaching experience than Cullen, it doesn't seem he was headhunted by external club sides when he was preparing to leave the International role.  I think he's quite comfortable where he is and doesn't seem to have the kind of globetrotting ambitions of other coaches.  So I'd assume he's in the reasonable pricing range too.

I think all three of them would be quite a bit off Lam's Bristol figure.

€350-400k range.

Pat Lam on the decision. You can see the whole process affected him deeply.

https://www.facebook.com/rterugby/videos/1269349283123004/

I read bits about that interview (reasons for leaving) but never watched any of it.

Boy, it hits you like a stone - I'm only half way through it but the intensity and dignity of this man; laying out a personal decision, that is really nobody else's business but his, on the line in public with such clarity and honesty.  And he does so because he feels the drive to be honourable to the end - to let a Province he obviously loves know that his decision was not a rushed or callous one.  Again, he didn't need to have so open and involved a statement but his own personality forced him into it.

What a man is Pat Lam.

SecretFly wrote:I read bits about that interview (reasons for leaving) but never watched any of it.

Boy, it hits you like a stone - I'm only half way through it but the intensity and dignity of this man; laying out a personal decision, that is really nobody else's business but his, on the line in public with such clarity and honesty.  And he does so because he feels the drive to be honourable to the end - to let a Province he obviously loves know that his decision was not a rushed or callous one.  Again, he didn't need to have so open and involved a statement but his own personality forced him into it.

What a man is Pat Lam.

Perfectly put. Pro Rugby would improve immeasurably with more of his honesty and dignity in its coaches. I will miss him, but look forward to the day that Connacht meet Bristol in the Champions cup, I've no doubt he can achieve for Bristol what he achieved for Connacht.

Bristol have confirmed that Siale Piutau will be joining in January, looks like they are really going for it this year to stay up

Who is that?

doctor_grey wrote:Who is that?

Charle's Piutau's brother. They played together at Wasps last year for a bit, then the brother went to Japan I think. He's quite good.

Pot Hale wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:Who is that?

Charle's Piutau's brother.  They played together at Wasps last year for a bit, then the brother went to Japan I think.  He's quite good.

Think Wasps tried to get him to stay with them for this season along with his brother but both had contracts signed elsewhere

Well, it makes sense for Bristol to try and pull out the stops. What's the point of earning promotion if not to try and stay up? And they sign a coach for big money to coach in the Championship? Six points behind Worcester with 12 games to go is not far back.