Darragh McDonagh

The CEO of Connacht Rugby has rejected claims that contract restrictions imposed by the IRFU have acted as a stumbling block in appointing a new coach by announcing that Michael Bradley’s successor will be revealed within the next 24 hours.

Gerry Kelly said that the recent decision by the IRFU to sanction only one-year contracts for playing and coaching staff had not had any significant repercussions for the province.

“The decision has not had any major impact,” he said. “There is a review taking place across all four provinces and we are not unduly concerned. The new coach will only be offered a one-year contract but, in the modern economic climate, we do not foresee that as being a problem.”

A governance and operations review of the professional game in Connacht is currently being conducted with a view to identifying ways in which the game can be made more sustainable in the province in future.

A similar project has just been completed in Ulster, and the outcome of the IRFU review in Connacht is expected shortly, though the CEO played down the importance of its findings and emphasised the importance of maximising attendance at Connacht’s remaining home games.

“We’re not privy to what happened with the review in Ulster but the most important thing for us is that we keep getting more people through the gates for the six remaining home fixtures – that’s the bottom line,” said Kelly.

Bradley made the announcement that he would be stepping down from his position as early as last November after seven years at the helm. Speculation has been rife that his assistant, Eric Elwood would be named as his successor but the IRFU-imposed ceiling on the length of contracts had been seen as a possible stumbling block.

It would appear that this has been overcome however, as Kelly confirmed that a press conference would be held on today or tomorrow at which the new coach would be unveiled to the media.
Kelly was also keen to refute rumours which had been circulated in recent days, suggesting that members of the committee were considering the possibility of abandoning Connacht’s professional status after next season in order to save the province an estimated €2.5 million a year.

Moves by the IRFU to remove the professional status of the province eight years ago were abandoned after vehement resistance by supporters who marched on Lansdowne Road. Kelly was quick to rubbish the rumours that circulated last week.