Man with the nice touches leads Connacht to history
A little over an hour before the PRO 12 final in Edinburgh, both squads were out on the field going through their warm-up drills.
Connacht head coach Pat Lam, probably tied-up with pre-match media duties, was one of the last from either camp to emerge onto the Murrayfield grass.
As he walked out from the tunnel, the Samoan went straight over to the Leinster half of the pitch.
Before engaging in a brief chat with his Leinster counterpart, Leo Cullen, on the half-way line, Lam first made a bee-line for Ica Nacewa. He shook the New Zealander’s hand and exchanged a few words.
Only they know what exactly was said but it’s probably safe to assume Lam was sympathising with the Leinster full-back, who had been ruled out of the final after sustaining an arm injury against Ulster in the semi-final. It was a nice touch.
Fast-forward to the Sportsground for Sunday’s homecoming, after an incredible historic victory. Lam was the last of the Connacht squad to leave the ground. Long after most of the madding-crowd had departed for home or town, to continue the celebrations, Lam lingered on.
For over an hour, he stayed out on the field and signed autographs and posed for selfies with the hundreds of children who lined-up to meet their newest hero. Everyone who wanted a signature or photograph was obliged. It was another nice touch.
These aren’t isolated incidents. And this wasn’t just for ‘show’.
Remember this is a guy, who, in the early hours of the morning of one of the biggest games in his Connacht coaching career, against Glasgow, was out walking the prom in Salthill for charity.
It was four o’clock on the morning of a crunch tie that would determine whether his side enjoyed home advantage in the league semi-finals, and yet instead of getting some shut-eye, Lam was out supporting suicide charity, Pieta House, and its Darkness into Light event. Again, it was a nice touch . . . and a measure of the man.
In 2009, former Ireland coach Declan Kidney was interviewed on live TV after Ireland captured its first Six Nations Grand Slam in donkeys’ years.
The Munster man was credited with masterminding the success but, humble and modest, Kidney instead dedicated the win to the underage coaches and ‘unsung heroes’ of the game in the clubs across the country. He said he was just happy to get a ticket to the game!
Lam was not unlike Kidney in his unassuming post-match interviews. He spoke of how it was a “privilege” to be part of this success, almost as if he’d nothing to do with it.
He credited his coaching and management team and all the backroom staff. He heaped praise on the players; never before has he been involved with a group that works as hard as they do, he said.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.