Pattinson set for mentoring role as Kennedy takes over first team duties
Jack Pattinson’s role as head coach at Windsor RFC will be modified this season and while the London Irish u18s coach admits he won’t be quite so hands on in the coming years, he believes he can still add plenty of value.
First team coach Neal Kennedy is now responsible for the weekly training, planning and selection of the side on match-days but Pattinson will remain involved and hopes to be on the touchline for as many matches as his work commitments with Irish will allow.
Windsor kicked off their South West 1 East season on Saturday with an enthralling 47-36 defeat at Beaconsfield and face another tasty test at home to local rivals Bracknell at Home Park on Saturday.
“They want me to stay in the head coach role,” said Pattinson this week. “My role will be three-fold, to implement the game modal that I believe in, and getting the coaches to coach that game model.
“To develop the coaches within the first and second team set up and to coach the players when I’m there, which will typically be on a Thursday night. So, I’m not going to be at the Tuesday night sessions and I’m not going to be at all of the games. I hope that paints a picture of how they want it to work.”
With his workload at London Irish having ‘gone through the roof’ in recent seasons, Pattinson is set to delegate much of the training and selection duties to Kennedy and Windsor’s other coaches but will continue to act as a mentor to them and the players.
“I am currently the u18s head coach at London Irish and my workload has gone through the roof,” he said.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity and I love it, but it just means I can’t commit to Windsor in the same way I did before the pandemic. My role will be to support and mentor Neal and the other assistant coaches. He has been my right-hand man and has been at the club for 15 years as a player and coach.
I’m sure he will do a perfect job. He will be leading on selection and overseeing the training plans and I’ll be overseeing coach development and suggesting ways they can improve. I will also be the u18s head coach, but I won’t necessarily be doing the hands-on stuff I have done before.”