Pat Lam has indicated that Bristol Bears already have their replacement for Connacht-bound forwards coach John Muldoon lined up with the director of rugby providing an insight into the type of individuals he likes to employ on his staff.
Muldoon is ending his five-year association with the Bears at the end of the season, returning to the club where he made his name as a player over 15 years, to take up the role of forwards coach under Pete Wilkens.
Lam and Muldoon have enjoyed an excellent working relationship as both head coach-player in Ireland and then as part of the same staff in Bristol where the 40-year-old followed his boss a year after he took the reins at Ashton Gate.
Filling the void left by the Irishman, on a personal and professional level, will require more than just skills, as Lam wants a specific type of individual who ticks four very clear criteria, with the selection process having been going on for several weeks.
“Knowing this has been going on so we’ve been doing the process behind the scenes and we hope to have an announcement soon,” Lam said.
“It’s what I look for in any staff. Number one, they’ve got to know their stuff, whatever we talk about, they have to know their subject. Second thing is their ability to get their message across which means their ability to relate with people. Understand that everyone learns differently; different ages, different backgrounds, different experiences, different personalities and being able to deal with that.
“Planning, preparation and detail - you can’t wing it, you have got to be able to be prepared and ready to go. And the fourth one is I look for a team person.
“Not only coaches but managers, every staff, that’s how I’ve always seen it. You find people with those four qualities, you get good people.”
Muldoon is one such example of a former player under Lam who has been promoted into a coaching role with the 54-year-old having had first-hand experience of the relevant attributes and how that can be transferred into the next stage of their career.
Jordan Crane has served as defence coach this season after previously being part of the academy, while John Afoa shared playing duties with acting as scrum coach during his final campaign at the club before signing for Vannes last summer. And without second-guessing the identity of the next man to take the position of forwards coach, at the very least it seems it will be a young and hungry individual who is either recently retired or in the process of retiring.
“They’ve already got number one and number four,” Lam added, of promoting senior players to coaching jobs. “Good players play the game, great players know the game and that’s why Jordan and John and I came straight into it. That’s the advantage of when good coaches work with players, you see their knowledge and understanding of the game. Gabs Ibitoye (is one), he’s got really good understanding.
“Some players play the game but understanding the game is the next level. Some of their knowledge is far better than coaches who have been working 20, 30 years. The fourth one is the next most important, it’s the team person. Captains, running environments, straight away you see them work. Their ability to get the message across? Again, they have a very good advantage.
“The key is the planning, prep and detail, that’s the big one that you’re working through; how they take their ideas and how it fits into the overall daily and weekly plan and making sure there’s a systematic structure.
“Guys these days have an advantage because you’re always using computers and presentations, and part of the thing we do with senior players is they have to deliver a lot of stuff here. That’s why there are a lot more senior players who go into coaching because they’re already doing a lot of it at the top level, and the No1 thing they have is the current experience in the game. If you get out of coaching too long, the game moves so much, it’s very difficult to get back in.”
Lam speaks of Muldoon's development with the Bears like a proud parent, having initially tempted him over the Irish Sea in 2017 when he first took the job at Ashton Gate only to have to wait another year as the back rower prolonged his playing career with Connacht before finally joining in 2018 as Bristol prepared for life back in the Premiership.
Ultimately, the 40-year-old goes with the blessing of everyone concerned with the club, given his status at Connacht and the fact it's such a fantastic opportunity that could open further doors in his career and that these opportunities simply don't come around too often.
“I’m so pleased for him. When I came through as a player and a captain, Ian McGeechan took a punt and guided me through my career and it’s something I’ve been doing for a few guys now. John was somebody who I knew had real leadership quality and coaching ability. Because senior players tend to drive a lot of things," Lam said.
“The year I came here, he was supposed to retire too and come into the coaching team - I had already made that call - but he kept playing. But we brought him here at year later and from defence into forwards coach, he’s developing nicely into a very, very good coach.
"The good news is when we heard the position at Connacht was coming up, we talked about it, he’s ready, he’s done five years now, and if he didn’t go for it now, and someone else took it, it might be 2, 3, 4 years or if ever (it would come up again). So the ability to apply for it and I’m pleased he’s got it and you see the reaction in Connacht - it’s a legend coming home, and he’ll do great.
“He’ll be back in the Irish system and Irish rugby is very strong at the moment so he will end up in the whole umbrella and being involved in the bigger picture, and it’s just a great part of his journey to one day being head coach at Connacht.”
