‘Minimalist’ ensuring a tidy supply of talent to the coal face
Irish U-20 job a fitting reward for academy coach who has led the way in player development
I T doesn’t take too long to notice what it is about Nigel Carolan that screams professionalism. I waltz into his office at the Sportsground: coffee cup in hand, dog- eared reporter’s notebook and biro in tow, laptop bag, woolly hat, scarf and coat all peeled off.
I’m in the door less than a minute and I have already made more of a mess than the Connacht’s academy director ever has in there.
Only a laptop and a phone sit on his desk and the ring my coffee cup leaves is the only mark on the table.
Carolan likes a regimented life – he says he’s a ‘minimalist’ rather than a neatness freak – but you get the feeling he expects people to strive for perfection.
“I like less clutter around me, I like a clear desk, a clear mind and to know what I’m working on,” says Carolan, who was recently unveiled as the new head coach of the Ireland U-20s team to succeed Mike Ruddock.
“I’m the same when I’m coaching. I like to be organised, I like things to run smoothly, I like players to be on time, I like them to wear the right kit. Small things like that are important.”
And while there is little in the way of decoration around his office, the first thing you see when you walk in the door are his success stories.
Framed photos of each of the Connacht academy graduates grace the wall from the first student, Ronan Loughney in 2005, to the latest players to roll off the conveyor bet, Jack Carty, Conor Finn, Finlay Bealham and Darragh Leader.
Carolan has been at the rudder since the transfer of control of the academies to the provinces in 2004.
“At the time, the academy was a national academy, so the IRFU had contracted about 20 players across the country who they used to bring in periodically over the season,” he explains.
“They decided that the best way to go was to regionalise the national academy in an effort to maximise the flow of young indigenous players.
“The amount of resources we had at the time wasn’t huge – the IRFU gave us a little bit of direction but with trying to feel our way through it while keeping the player at the centre of what we are about was hard going.
“But I think we are starting to reap some of the rewards now. For someone to break through it’s a combination of opportunity and availability.
“Our job in the academy is to make players physically and technically ready to take that opportunity when it comes up.”
ADVENTURES
Long-time Connacht rugby fans will remember Carolan the player, who lined up alongside the likes of Mervyn Murphy, Eric Elwood and current Connacht CEO Willie Ruane in the early days of the province’s Challenge Cup adventures.
He was “a centre that played on the wing”, but once his playing days came to an abrupt end at the age of 26 with a neck injury, Carolan didn’t stand still. With a marketing degree already in his pocket he enrolled in an IT course in NUI Galway. Getting his brain back working again was vital, he says.
“After all the physical training playing rugby, I think I forgot how to write my own name so I needed another mental stimulation. I decided around then to go back to college,” he says.
A recent link-up with NUIG has allowed Connacht academy players to tailor their courses to a certain degree.
“The players aren’t going to get any additional marks because they are trying to pursue a professional rugby career,” said Carolan. “But at the same time the college understand that these guys are not down in the college bar, they are not at home in bed. They are at the Sportsground and they are working hard.
“In the past college wasn’t an option for some of the players and they’d end up having to knock their studies on the head because they couldn’t cope with the balancing act. This has provided them a facility to do both, which we encourage very much.”
The fact that Carolan was asked to take over as the national U-20s coach is an indication of the esteem in which he is held in Irish rugby.
The U-20s have continuously produced the elite players for the national team, but it was only natural that a man with his record of producing talent be asked.
“When the IRFU approached me to take on the role, it didn’t really come as a surprise because it is a job that I had expressed an interest in whenever it was coming up again.
IN THE PAST, COLLEGE WASN’T AN OPTION FOR SOME PLAYERS AND THEY’D END UP HAVING TO KNOCK THEIR STUDIES ON THE HEAD BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T COPE WITH THE BALANCING ACT
“Having worked with the academy and development role now for ten years, a number of opportunities have put their head up in terms of professional rugby.
“None of them appeared to fit at the right time so I felt that this is maybe an opportunity for me to push my boundaries as well and lead a national team.
“It all kicks off at the end of January through the Six Nations period and that is going to be the great demand on my time. I am fortunate enough that the IRFU have recognised the work we do down here and they have resourced the academy with additional personnel.
“We have two good coaches there in Jimmy Duffy and Cory Brown now working with us and when I am away those guys are more than capable of continuing and leading the programme in my absence so I have no fears about that.
“It’ll be busy but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”