Connacht sack Head Coach Keane in shock move

LESS than ten months after he arrived in the West of Ireland, Kieran Keane’s tenure as head coach of the Connacht rugby team has come to an abrupt end. Ironically, his final game in charge was a record-breaking home win over Leinster but that did nothing to change his fate.

It is understood that results overall were not a key factor in Monday’s decision – even allowing for the clear regression in terms of PRO14 positioning and wins during this campaign. The exact reasoning seems to have been more complex and as a result it will be hard for outsiders to parse.

What we know for sure is this: Kieran Keane was hired on a three year contract in February of 2018 and hailed as a perfect fit to follow in the footsteps of Pat Lam, according to Connacht CEO Willie Ruane at the unveiling press conference.

“Kieran is a highly experienced Head Coach with a winning track record and a proven ability in identifying talent and maximising the full potential of that talent. His ambitious and exciting brand of rugby is also consistent with the way Connacht Rugby and, in particular, our players want to continue to play the game into the future.” Ruane said at the time.

While the announcement of his hiring came early in the calendar year, his arrival came late in the pre-season programme due to his commitments with the Chiefs in Super Rugby.

This is often an accepted reality when hiring someone from Southern Hemisphere rugby but it certainly didn’t help in terms of the aim to hit the ground running and left organisation and management playing catch up. Connacht lost five of their first six games.

From the outset, Keane proved somewhat unusual in his dealings with the press, proving sparky and combative in post game media conferences. It was easy to establish that this was more of a personality trait than any sort of calculated tactic, but it certainly left many a little puzzled. The last gasp home defeat to Cardiff in round two served to underline his unconventional tone and to that end, his post-game television interview went viral, serving only to underline the early season issues for the team.

Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune