RUGBY: Davidson draws on French experiences
NEW Ulster assistant coach Jeremy Davidson will rely on his French experiences as he gets to grips with his role at Ravenhill.
Davidson spent two years with French club, Castres - a side he had previously captained before coming to Ulster - and in his first season lifted them out of the relegation mire they were facing.
The former British Lion was also joined by former Ulster head coach, Mark McCall as another assistant coach, and they helped Castres to a fifth place finish and a return to Heineken Cup rugby.
Given the current state of Ulster Rugby, languishing at the wrong end of the Magners League, Davidson's experience in helping to turn Castres' fortunes could prove useful as he joins a new coaching team headed up by David Humphreys and head coach, Brian McLaughlin.
Davidson (35) joined Castres after a three year stint at his former club, Dungannon, where he had reasonable success in All Ireland League One.
But the chance to return to France and another former club, Castres, proved too big an opportunity to turn down two years ago.
"It was great to go to a different country and I relished the chance to coach there on this occasion, having formerly been a player," Davidson told the News Letter last night.
"I relished it, jus t as I am relishing coming home now and being involved in coaching Ulster.
"Castres was a great place for me to go and apply myself as a coach and I feel the past two years working in France was the best place for me as a forwards coach.
"The French game is very physical and very forward dominated in terms of set piece, scrum and lineout."
While the first year was a huge success for the predominantly Ulster coaching set-up at Castres, last season did not work out so well, but that was another important learning curve for Davidson.
"We had 16 players out with injury at the start of the season. We just had too many front liners missing and although it is not an excuse, it did prove costly to us at the start of the season and left us with too much to do. We were on the back foot," explained Davidson.
"It is always easy to coach when things are going well, but you earn your corn, and indeed learn much more, when you go through some tough times and have to work in adverse conditions.
"There is no more difficult environment than French rugby. But it was part of the learning curve and I know my coaching skills are better for it."
As a former Ulster player and now part of what is a predominantly Ulster coaching set-up at Ravenhill with McLaughlin, Humphreys and Neil Doak, Davidson said being involved with Ulster Rugby is certainly anything he would ever have wished for.
"I think as a coach, what you want invariably is to coach in your home environment. Coaching at Ulster, having been a player and an Ulsterman, being involved and knowing what it was like on big European nights, both playing and watching, there is nothing more I could have asked for.
"Having had the experience of Dungannon and Castres as a coach, I am happy to be moving in to my new role as assistant and forwards coach.
"There is a good mix of youth an experience in the new coaching set-up and it is a really exciting time for me and indeed everyone involved in the new management structure.
"I know Ulster did not have a hugely successful year last season, but everyone within the new management team will be doing their best to get Ulster back up to where it should be and the way it was when I was playing and watching them in the Heineken Cup.
"With Brian (McLaughlin) coming in as head coach, Ulster is certainly in good hands."
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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