GAVIN CUMMISKEYon the unusual situation in Ulster where their successful head coach will be replaced and moved to a role with the province's Academy
THE REVIVAL of Ulster rugby has been the feel-good sports story this past week. And rightly so. Victory in Thomond Park made everyone believe. Just one small problem, they’ve already removed their head coach, who could conceivably guide them to a European and Pro12 double next month. It raises the question: who’s running the show in Ravenhill?
The candidates are Brian McLaughlin (until June anyway), director of rugby David Humphreys and team captain Johann Muller. Don’t forget the chief executive Shane Logan. Maybe it is a combination of all four. It’s working so far.
A major problem with rugby in this part of the world is player and coach contracts are renewed, or not, mid-season. That’s just the way business is done. It has created a vacuum in Ulster that is widening the more successful the team is.
Humphreys and McLaughlin stood side by side at Thomond Park last Sunday, overseeing a hugely impressive victory over the two-time European champions. They also sat side by side at a press conference last February when Humphreys confirmed something that had already been leaked – McLaughlin would not be Ulster’s head coach next season.
The decision was relayed to McLaughlin in December. Actually, it was decided when he was handed a contract extension 12 months previously. Humphreys told us that was always the understanding. McLaughlin believed constant improvements in the team he was coaching would keep him in the role. Here’s where it got messy.
McLaughlin’s future employment in the Ulster Branch was secured over a year ago with a guaranteed role running the Academy, whenever the head coaching crown was placed on another man’s head. That day in Belfast last February, Humphreys explained the decision was made for the “long-term” benefit of Ulster and Irish rugby.
It was written this week in these pages, that McLaughlin didn’t utter a word of complaint when demoted. Well, he did utter a few choice remarks on the matter. So much so he had to apologise the next day.
The 17-minute press conference is on YouTube. Humphreys got the ball rolling: “In relation to the head coach position – almost three years ago myself and Brian sat down to talk about him coming in to take over the Ulster coaching post. We both knew there were major problems in Ulster rugby at that stage. We both had very strong views how we were going to address those and we put together a plan at that stage to address those, as to how we felt we could take control of that.
“Two and half years on I think we’ve taken big strides . . . we saw Leinster and Munster moving way ahead of us and we determined to close that gap.”
Humphreys continued: “As part of our long-term strategy we are now at a point where we are making a change to our head coaching position next year and Brian will be moving to take up a post in our academy . . .”
McLaughlin took a career break from teaching in Royal Belfast Academical Institute to take on the role of head coach in 2009, so he knows the underage landscape better than most, but Ulster gave him a permanent way to remain in professional rugby. When asked to comment on the demotion, McLaughlin said he was “exceptionally grateful” for the job security but he was unable to sit there and play happy families.
“To be honest, I’m a little disappointed. I wasn’t expecting to have to use the safety net quite so quickly but from that point of view I am disappointed, yes, but I have the rest of the season to consider. ”
Humphreys had to provide clarification: “It was always an understanding that this would be done at this time. It was always a time both players and staff have always been aware of.”
McLaughlin went on to say, “I would like to be going on further but unfortunately, that’s not he case”, and “I think the coaching ticket we have is more than good enough”.
Humphreys was dragged over the coals by the journalists present but he stuck to his mantra: “The decision is the right long-term decision for Ulster. I’m very comfortable we’ve made a decision that is the best interests of Ulster rugby.”
A day later came McLaughlin’s contrite press release: “Further to yesterday’s press conference and the subsequent media reports I wish to clarify my situation and apologise for any misunderstanding that may have arisen.
“Last year I sought and was successful in securing a permanent contract with Ulster Rugby. This allowed me the job security to leave my teaching post and follow a professional coaching career. At the same time, I extended my role as head coach for the 2011-’12 season. While I will be leaving the post of head coach in June this year I will not be leaving the staff and in fact will take on a senior coaching role within the Ulster Academy. This is an important role which I take very seriously and one to which I will bring extensive experience. It also indicates the investment we are making in our future players.
“I look forward to finishing this season strongly with the senior team and am committed to my new role developing the Ulster players of the future.”
Still, it didn’t sit well with the locals that the indigenous head coach was not being retained yet there was no replacement. Nor were they sated a month later when the largely unknown Mark Anscombe was handed a two-year deal. The 54-year-old Kiwi had coached the New Zealand under-20s and Auckland (not the Super 15 franchise).
Humphreys’ position is unlike any other in Irish rugby. The head coach runs the show in Leinster, Munster and Connacht. McLaughlin still picks the team but Humphreys is clearly the boss, while the influence of Muller is also undeniable. A leader of the highest calibre, Muller captained the Natal Sharks even when the South African World Cup winning skipper John Smit was in the side.
Last Sunday in Limerick the Ulster bench never stirred. The starting 15 got the job done, much like the Springboks in the latter stages of the 2007 World Cup. This, we were told, was McLaughlin’s call.
“Brian doesn’t really have the history of not putting the subs on – he likes to give them a run,” said lock Dan Tuohy. “But he does try to trust the boys on the pitch. It can be ever so hard to do this as they brought (Donncha) O’Callaghan, (David) Wallace, Damien Varley off their bench. But because we had come that far, an hour, Brian must have felt it was our game to finish off.
“It wasn’t broken so he didn’t try and fix it.”
That sentence, to take it out of context, is the reason people in Ulster have a problem with McLaughlin’s demotion. The outgoing coach finds himself in an excruciatingly difficult position but it seems like a collective, unified stance has been adopted.
“I came in when the switch over of coaches was happening [from Matt Williams to McLaughlin] so it was my first season along with Brian,” Tuohy continued. “Speaking to the guys, Brian has added a more disciplined edge within the squad. We have a really tightknit bunch of lads. There are no prima donnas. No arrogance. A top bunch of boys, to be honest.”
Humphreys, speaking on Newstalk’s Off the Ball on Wednesday, admitted the current success has been achieved sooner than expected. “Three years ago I don’t suppose any of us could have seen that we would now find ourselves in this position. We probably hoped that maybe five years down the line . . .
“It was all about trying to close that gap that was there between ourselves and Munster/Leinster. We have closed the gap a little bit but there is no doubt when you look at the overall structures Munster and Leinster are still a good bit ahead of us. We have a huge amount of work to do.”
And that’s the crux of it, McLaughlin, Humphreys feels, can better serve Ulster in a permanent academy role. If Ulster win the Heineken Cup, the Pro12 or both, Humphreys will take another pounding and Anscombe will arrive under tremendous pressure to replicate the success.
But the decision has been made, because that’s how business is done around these parts.
