Lhe opposition between Stade Rochelais and Leinster is often presented via the RonanO’Gara prism against their arch enemies Dublin. But, in addition to the rivalry which now drives the players of the two teams, we also sometimes forget to remember that the manager of the Jaune et Noir is not the only Irishman present in Charente-Maritime. Thus, second row Ultan Dillane arrived from Connacht in 2022 while two other former Munstermen are part of the staff, Donnacha Ryan and Sean Dougall.
If you can’t clearly see the face of the latter, a third row also passed through the Section Paloise between 2015 and 2019, on the other hand, it’s a safe bet that you have already heard his voice. Since last season, he has been on the pitch during matches, putting a lot of strain on his vocal cords. The remark amuses him: “I try to give energy to the players. In the headset, the others tell me “encourage them!”, “spread this message!”. Maybe I’m shouting louder because of the stress, but it’s true that I have to be careful, otherwise I’ll lose my voice. Sometimes I come out of matches with a headache (laughs). »
“My passion is Rugby”
Paradoxical for someone whose role – coach in charge of contact attitudes – consists in particular of protecting those of the players, whether in defense or attack. But also if we refer to his status when he arrived, in 2021, since this holder of a master’s degree in physical preparation was then a trainee in this field. “I liked it as a player, I thought it could be interesting. But I woke up quite quickly: my passion is rugby, insists the Irishman. And I’m lucky to have been able to coach in an environment like that. »
“We worked on our supports before the tackle, the positioning of the feet and the head”
Especially since it happened quite naturally. From his first year at Stade Rochelais, he worked with the young people at the Academy, and “I was getting back into contact with the pros a bit. I opened up about it to ”ROG”, he understood it well. We wondered if I could play another role. » His second year, he combined the functions of physical trainer and specialist in contact attitudes before, this season, definitively switching to the coaching category, reinforced by a diploma obtained with World Rugby.
“It’s a new position at the club, Pierre (Venayre, the general director, Editor’s note), Robert (Mohr, the sports director, Editor’s note) and Ronan gave me the opportunity to train, because there is no of curriculum. I organized myself, I used my network with a lot of mentors, other coaches with whom I have exchanged a lot – I am well surrounded here. During my vacation, I spent a week with Scotland, I know Felix Jones (former England defense coach, after having been a consultant in this area with the South Africans, Editor’s note), with whom I played. I also draw inspiration from rugby league, I spoke with Suliasi (Vunivalu), it’s super interesting to see the way he works,” he lists.
-Develop good habits
Recently, Matthias Haddad-Victor highlighted the weight of Sean Dougall. “He already had the technique, but we worked on his supports before the tackle, the positioning of his feet and his head. He had everything, but we did reminders to reinforce good habits,” explains the technician about the Yellow and Black. But the former U20 world champion also spoke about his elder brother’s mission with the young people at the training center and the Academy.
“The principles remain the same but the way of training changes depending on age”
Dougall’s face lights up when we tell him these words: “It’s a role that I love. I really enjoy working with them, they really listen. An 18 or 19 year old player has good technique. But you have to be able to apply it in an environment of chaos. Of course, the player is often wrong, but I hope he understands. We want to find space with our hands, our feet, play standing up, but there are going to be collisions, so we have to be able to make the right decision at full speed despite fatigue, stress, whether on the tackle, the clearing or when carrying the ball…”
To do this, he works with different age categories, in order to link them a little more through a common language and similar reflexes. To save time but above all so that they are efficient and protected. “The principles remain the same but the way of training changes depending on age and different physical developments. It’s a bit of a special challenge for me but it’s great because I can train with them, try things, increase my confidence,” enthuses Dougall. Who appreciates, for example, working alongside experienced educators, such as Olivier Guillet and Jean-Marc Poinseau, the U16 coaches. “It’s huge to spend time with them, to learn from them. » Obviously, the opposite is also true.
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