Connacht Rugby announces new coaching team

Connacht Rugby has announced a new coaching team for next season.

Beginning in 2021/22, Peter Wilkins will move to a new role of senior coach, where he will have primary responsibility for attack.

He will be supported by Mossy Lawler, who has been appointed assistant attack and skills coach, in addition to Colm Tucker, who comes on board as defence and forwards technical skills coach.

A process to recruit a new forwards coach is also now currently underway following the announcement of the departure of Jimmy Duffy at the end of this season.

These changes will take the total number on the professional coaching team from four to five, providing head coach Andy Friend with greater coverage across each of the respective areas of the game.

All three coaches have signed two-year contracts running in tandem with Andy Friend’s recently announced extension as head coach.

Peter Wilkins first joined Connacht as defence coach in 2017, having previously held the same role at Edinburgh Rugby for two seasons. He arrived at Edinburgh having spent eight years in Australia, where he first began work at Queensland Reds as performance analyst, moving through the ranks to become skills coach and then defence coach at the club, as well as head coach of the A side.

Mossy Lawler joined Connacht as a coach in 2014 after a successful playing career with Munster and Wasps. Lawler made 65 appearances for Munster between 2001 and 2008, winning two Heineken Cups in the process. He has spent the last six years as elite player development officer in the Connacht Academy and four years as head coach of the Connacht Eagles. At international level he has served as attack coach of the Ireland Under 18 Schools and head coach of the Ireland Under 19s.

Colm Tucker joined Connacht in 2015 as coach development officer before moving to the role of provincial talent coach 12 months later and subsequently as elite player development officer, working primarily with the forwards in the Connacht Academy and as forwards and defence coach for the Connacht Eagles. During that time he was head coach of the Connacht Under 18s that won the 2018 Interprovincial Championship – a first in 10 years for the province – and was also coach of the Ireland Clubs & Schools team for three years, assistant coach to the Ireland Under 19s, and assistant coach to the Ireland U20s 2019-21.

Between them Tucker and Lawler have been instrumental in the development of the many Connacht Academy players who have moved up to the professional squad in recent years.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Andy Friend said: “This is really exciting development for Connacht Rugby. Firstly with Peter as our new senior coach we have someone who has been a crucial part of the coaching team since my arrival. Pete has an incredible knowledge of the game and has built up a wealth of experience across the PRO14 and Super Rugby. I know he will thrive in his new role of implementing strategies across a number of areas of our programme.

“I’m equally pleased to welcome Colm and Mossy into our coaching setup from next season. I’ve always believed in strong integration between the pro and academy environments, so we’ve been working closely together the past few years. Like Nigel (Carolan) and Jimmy (Duffy) before them, when they first became pro coaches, they have worked their way through the coaching ranks here and have played a major part in the development of the many young players we have in our squad. Their appointments will allow for even greater continuity as we continue to develop our homegrown talent.

“We’ve also started the process of recruiting a new forwards coach, so I’m very excited by what we as a coaching team can achieve in the years ahead.”

The Connacht Rugby coaching team for 2021-2023 is: head coach Andy Friend, senior coach Peter Wilkins, assistant attack and skills coach Mossy Lawler, and defence and forwards technical skills coach Colm Tucker, with the forwards coach to be confirmed.