Andy Friend: Demise of the sevens programme is a real shame
That Canberra-born wing and former Brumbie Mack Hansen is part of the Lions matchday squad at GIO Stadium and non-playing prop Finlay Bealham is also from the city adds an extra level of excitement while Friend has already seen Bundee Aki earn Test recognition with the famous touring institution during his stint in Galway, on the 2021 tour to South Africa.
'It's just brilliant for them as individuals and I think it's brilliant for Connacht,' Friend says on the eve of the game in a café near his home in the Australian capital.
'And then two of those boys are actually from this hometown. So I think it's outstanding that they're here to play and have a chance to be here in a town that they used to call home. For them to be brave enough to have packed up and gone over to Ireland, and Bundee, credit to them and they're now at the pinnacle, aren't they?
'You'd pinch yourself if you said five years ago that Connacht's going to have three British & Irish Lions. I think we'd had three in the history of the club but now you've got three there in one squad. So I'm just delighted for them, and I think it shows the opportunity that Connacht's provided those boys, but others as well.
'So it's nothing but fond memories of my time at Connacht.'
When Friend, now 56, returned to Canberra, he began working with the national women's team, the Walleroos, in a consultancy role. He still coaches their coaches, and through his business, Performance Friend, also works with the USA Eagles men's team, Australian Rowing and offers one-to-one work with individual coaches and business leaders to unlock their potential.
He has just completed a six-month stint as head coach of the Brumbies women's programme, returning to the Canberra franchise whose men's team he head coached between 2007 and 2011.
His posting before joining Connacht was as Australia's men's sevens head coach and when he is asked what his sense of where Irish rugby is right now, his bewilderment at the IRFU's decision to shelve its men's sevens programme is evident.
'I think there's been a bit of a golden era come through Irish rugby. Joe (Schmidt) was at the forefront of that as a coach. Leinster's been at the forefront of that for probably the last decade and a bit in the way that they've performed on European stages. And then Ireland, they've been up in the top two or three for the last five, six years. There's incredible talent coming through.
'I always look at the Irish system with a lot of envy. To me, it is a team of us. It's controlled by the central body, which I think it has to be. You've got four strong provinces, but the IRFU still have a control on who goes where. You'd like to see a little bit more movement, I reckon.
'I reckon one of the disappointing things which has just happened recently is the demise of the sevens. I think that's actually been something that's really given Ireland another avenue for players to come through and to show their strength.
'With that now dropping off, I think it's a real shame, to be honest with you. I know they're keeping the women's part of the programme, but there's some great players coming through that men's part of the programme.
'You've got national teams going to Olympics and chances of medals and winning medals at World Cups. That's all part of national pride and part of the whole rugby family. I know David Nucifora spent a lot of time, he and Eddie Wigglesworth (former IRFU director of rugby), building that whole programme up. They'll be very disappointed that's now gone.
'I think David Nucifora deserves a lot of credit for Irish rugby, the way it grew and developed under his stewardship. I think he did a brilliant job, as did others in that whole area. Certainly when I left there, Irish rugby was really healthy. The dropping of the sevens is a warning sign that maybe it's not as healthy as everyone thinks it is. We'll wait and see.'
Friend is optimistic for direction of travel Connacht are heading in, however. He and his wife Kerri fell in love with Galway and the province during their time there and he thanked chief executive Willie Ruane for allowing him 'to move into the part of my coaching where I think I operate best, which is in the people development and overseeing a programme' as director of rugby.
'I just love the whole ethos of Connacht Rugby, ambition, belief, community. Three words that really mean something to you.
'If you live on the west coast of Ireland, you've got to be pretty hardy. You've got to know how to roll your sleeves up and get stuff done. Find a way is one of the big phrases they used to say and I just love those type of people.
'I connected with them and they connected with me. It was a brilliant way to round out 29 years of pro coaching. So nothing but fond memories coming out of there. A lot of hard work and a lot of really good people. Just a really nice way to wrap things up.'
THE arrival this summer of Stuart Lancaster as Connacht's new head coach and the completion of the Sportsground's redevelopment and rebirth as Dexcom Stadium has Friend anticipating more good times ahead.
'Brilliant. I just think it's fantastic. I couldn't be happier for the Connacht faithful. They've been there following that team from around the greyhound track and in the Clan Terrace. Now you've got a stadium and now the players have got a place that they can really call their own. There's no excuses there anymore.
'Now they've got Stuart Lancaster, they've kept Cullie Tucker and Rod Saib has come over from Australia. They've got John Muldoon back there. They've got a great coaching set-up. Billy Millard's gone in there now. Timmy Allnut's still there. They've got some great people there.
'I just really, really hope it all now clicks and they just take off. They're always going to be battling against others because they don't have the finances that others have. But they play a brand of footy that is entertaining to watch and I think makes most people from Connacht pretty proud because they work really, really hard for each other.
'Some of our better games, we didn't win them but we actually played really, really well and pushed some of the big teams. You want to win everything, of course you do, but I think people from Connacht are pretty realistic as well.
'But now they've got a great stadium to go and watch it in. The players have got a good facility to go and train in. So hopefully everything does keep improving.'
Friend concedes the Clan Terrace, home of Connacht's most passionate and vociferous supporters, will be missed but added: 'They'll have to put them somewhere. Well, like all things in history, you think back with fondness to that. But then there's always development. So I believe Dexcom now has got, there'll be terraces there and they'll try and mimic it, but it probably won't ever be the same.
'Kerri and I are thinking of going back there in 12 to 18 months just to have a look.
'We've got a real soft spot in our hearts for Connacht and for Galway and to go back and see it all humming would be fantastic. So we'll probably sneak back there in a little bit of time and have a look. And we'll get down to the Crane Bar as well and have a couple of pints down there.'
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