James Coughlan

For the New Zealand field hockey player, see James Coughlan (field hockey).

James Coughlan
Date of birth (1980-12-09) 9 December 1980 (age 43)
Place of birthCork, Ireland
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight109 kg (17.2 st; 240 lb)
SchoolChristian Brothers College
UniversityUniversity College Cork
Rugby union career
Position(s) Back-row
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
20??–2014 Dolphin ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006–2014 Munster 139 (65)
2014–2017 Pau 69 (40)
Correct as of 19 May 2017
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2008–2009 Ireland 7s
2013 Ireland Wolfhounds 1 (0)
Correct as of 26 January 2013
Coaching career
Years Team
2017–2019 Pau (Academy coach)
2019–2020 Aix (Forwards coach)
2020–2021 Brive (Defence coach)
2021– Toulon (Defence coach)
2021 → Toulon (temporary head coach)

James Coughlan (born 9 December 1980) is a retired Irish rugby union player and current coach. Coughlan played primarily as a number 8 and represented Cork-based amateur club Dolphin in the All-Ireland League, his native province Munster and French club Pau, and, internationally, Ireland Wolfhounds and the Ireland 7s team during his career.

Early rugby career

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Coughlan started playing rugby with Old Christians at the age of 10. He continued playing when he went to Christian Brothers College and was selected for the Irish Schoolboys team. After school, Coughlan went to University College Cork and played for the Irish Universities team. He joined Dolphin in 2001 and played 85 times for them in the All-Ireland League & Cup, scoring 32 tries, a club record. In 2008, Coughlan also played on the Irish Sevens team that qualified for the 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup, which was held in Dubai.[1]

Professional career

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Munster

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Coughlan made his Munster debut against Cardiff Blues in the Celtic League in September 2006,[2] and his performances in his first season earned him a full contract.[3] He made one appearance for Munster during their victorious 2007–08 Heineken Cup campaign.[4] Coughlan was one of the stars for Munster in their 18–16 defeat by New Zealand at the opening of Thomond Park in November 2008.[5] Denis Leamy's injuries propelled Coughlan into the Munster starting XV in the 2009–10 season, and he become a mainstay in the team, captaining Munster during their historic 15–6 win over Australia in November 2010,[6] and winning the Munster Player of the Year award for 2011, beating fellow nominees Keith Earls, Ronan O'Gara and Doug Howlett.[7] He started at number 8 for Munster as they beat old rivals Leinster 19–9 to win the 2011 Magners League Grand Final.[8] Coughlan was ruled out of the remainder of the 2011–12 season after a fractured bone in his hand, sustained in Munster's Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat against Ulster on 8 April 2012, required surgery.[9]

Coughlan agreed a contract extension with Munster in January 2013.[10] Coughlan scored a try and won the player of the match award in Munster's 38–6 win against Edinburgh in round 6 of the 2013–14 Heineken Cup on 19 January 2014, a win that secured a home quarter-final for Munster.[11] Coughlan was nominated for the Munster Rugby Senior Player of the Year 2014 award,[12] and won the IRUPA Unsung Hero award during the annual awards in May 2014.[13] Coughlan left Munster in June 2014, after being granted an early release from his contract to move abroad.[14]

Pau

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Coughlan joined French Pro D2 side Pau on a two-year contract at the beginning of the 2014–15 season.[15] Coughlan announced that he was retiring from rugby union upon the conclusion of the 2016–17 season, bringing to an end his 11-year professional career in which he won 139 caps for Munster, 69 for Pau and 1 for Ireland Wolfhounds.[16]

Ireland

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Coughlan was called into the senior Ireland squad for the 2012 Six Nations Championship to replace the injured Leo Cullen, but did not feature in the tournament.[17] He was also called up to the Ireland squad for the uncapped warm-up against the Barbarians on 29 May 2012 in Gloucester,[18] coming on in the 60th minute for Chris Henry in the 29–28 defeat.[19]

He was called into Ireland's training squad for the 2013 Six Nations Championship on 21 January 2013,[20] and captained Ireland Wolfhounds in their 14–10 friendly defeat against England Saxons on 25 January 2013.[21] He was added to Ireland's squad for their game against Scotland on 17 February 2013,[22] and was named in the Ireland squad for the 2013 Autumn tests,[23] but Coughlan never won a senior cap for Ireland, much to the frustration of some.[24]

Coaching

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Upon retirement, Coughlan immediately progressed into coaching with Pau's academy. During this time, 27 of the 30 players in the academy went on to sign professional contracts. After two years with Pau, Coughlan joined Aix as a forwards coach for the 2019–20 season and oversaw a transformation of the team's defence from the fifth-worst to the fifth-best, as well as turning the team's scrum from the fourth worst to the second-best in the Pro D2. Coughlan's work caught the attention of Top 14 club Brive, and he joined the club in July 2020 ahead of the 2020–21 season.[25] Ahead of the 2021–22 season, Coughlan, having left Brive, joined another French Top 14 club, Toulon, as their defence coach,[26] and was placed in temporary charge of the team after head coach Patrice Collazo left in October 2021.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Carney & Coughlan in Ireland Sevens Squad". Munster Rugby. 23 February 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  2. ^ "Munster make Blues work for their win". Munster Rugby. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  3. ^ "Introducing – James Coughlan". Munster Rugby. 1 November 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Marvellous Munster Triumph in Stradey". Munster Rugby. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Oh So Close". Munster Rugby. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Class of 2010 Excel". Munster Rugby. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  7. ^ "James Coughlan Scoops Player of the Year". Munster Rugby. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Munster Crowned Magners League Champions". Munster Rugby. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  9. ^ "Surgery For Coughlan". Munster Rugby. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Nine Contract Extensions Agreed". Munster Rugby. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Bonus-Point Munster Move Into Home Quarters". Munster Rugby. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Players Nominated For Munster Rugby Awards". Munster Rugby. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  13. ^ "Three Wins At IRUPA Awards". Munster Rugby. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Coughlan Moving On". Munster Rugby. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  15. ^ "Pau confirm signing of former Munster No 8 James Coughlan". RTÉ Sport. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  16. ^ "'I just hope I left the odd mark along the way' - ex-Munster player Coughlan set to retire". The42. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  17. ^ "James Coughlan Joins Ireland Senior Squad". Munster Rugby. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  18. ^ "O'Gara And O'Driscoll In Charge At Kingsholm". Munster Rugby. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Late Penalty Denies Ireland XV in Gloucester". Irish Rugby. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  20. ^ "Seven Players Added To Training Squad". Irish Rugby. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  21. ^ "Wolfhounds Lose Grip on First Half Lead". Irish Rugby. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Coughlan Gets National Call Up". Munster Rugby. 17 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  23. ^ "Ireland Squad Announced For GUINNESS Series". Irish Rugby. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  24. ^ "James Coughlan, is he Ireland's best uncapped player?". Dolphin RFC. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  25. ^ "James Coughlan joins Brive as defence coach". The Irish Times. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  26. ^ "James Coughlan joins Toulon as defence coach". The42. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  27. ^ "James Coughlan placed in temporary charge of struggling Toulon". The42. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
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