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Jerry Flannery is heading to the Premiership to coach 13 months after quitting Munster

By Online Editors
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Former Munster assistant Jerry Flannery had returned to rugby coaching after just over a year out of the game, the ex-Ireland hooker agreeing to become lineout coach for Paul Gustard’s Harlequins. Flannery opted not to take up an extension to his forwards coaching role in Ireland in May 2019. 

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His departure from the Irish province coincided with the exit of attack coach Felix Jones, who went on to help South Africa to World Cup glory last November before taking up a European-based scouting role for the Springboks. 

Flannery, a pub owner in Limerick, had been doing some rugby punditry until the sport was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. He has now decided to take up coaching work in London, the city he initially moved to when he joined the Arsenal FC academy as a strength and conditioning coach when he retired from playing in 2012.

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Gallagher Premiership officials have targeted the middle of August as the restart date for the suspended 2019/20 campaign

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Gallagher Premiership officials have targeted the middle of August as the restart date for the suspended 2019/20 campaign

He said: “I’m very excited to be joining the Quins family. Harlequins is a club with a great history and fantastic supporter base. Paul’s passion for the art of coaching along with his drive to bring success to Harlequins was a big factor in my joining. 

“I’m also looking forward to integrating with the other coaches, Adam Jones, Nick Evans and Sean Long, and working with Quins’ very talented playing group.”

Gustard added: “I’m delighted we have been able to secure Jerry’s services. I have spoken to him many times and love his intensity, allied to his desire to personally improve in equal measure to his drive to raise the standard of those he coaches. He is very bright and articulate with a keen rugby mind and a strong passion for the game.

“He comes from a culture of hard-working men, who play with a passion and purpose that we want from our team and I believe Jerry has a skill set and determination to help foster, alongside Adam (Jones, the scrum coach), a ruthless pack mentality with a hard edge based on strong fundamentals with no quarter given. He was the standout candidate in our process, and I’m delighted he has chosen us.”

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Speaking to RugbyPass last September about his decision to step away from coaching at Munster, Flannery said: “I don’t regret my decision. I don’t know if I am going to miss coaching so much and want to go back in. I have sort of teed that up that provisionally I will look to coach next season but for the time being, five years was a long time to be coaching in Munster and I thought it was best to step aside.

“I can’t tell you that it is the right decision until you compare it to something else. I played professional rugby for about 12 years, retired and was almost straight into professional sport again over in London (with the Arsenal academy) and then back coaching, so I have been doing it for so long that if I don’t ever take a step out I will never know what the other side of it is like. 

“There are lots of ways to earn money but you don’t know whether you will be that fulfilled at the end of this year. I potentially will or potentially won’t. If the coaching bug is still there and if I can’t shake it, then I’m going to have to sit down with my missus.

“I’m aware that if I look to go coaching it will be unlikely that I will get another job in Ireland and I would have to move the family abroad, but with what I am doing at the moment I will give it the best chance that I can.”

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

11 Go to comments
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Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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