‘Mad professor’ Kieran Keane happy with Connacht chemistry

Of all the difficulties about settling into his new life in Galway, new Connacht coach Kieran Keane hardly envisaged he would get a ribbing about hurling, but his disclosure yesterday that he is of Waterford blood should ensure he will hear plenty about the All-Ireland final in the coming weeks.

The New Zealander, who arrived in Galway last week to take over from Pat Lam, has to go back a few generations to find his Irish ancestry but he reckons he is a Déise man.

Of more concern is the lineage of the Connacht squad he has taken charge of — what he has seen so far has pleased him, even if there is a fair bit of work to get through before the season kick-off at home to Glasgow Warriors.

Keane will lock horns with his former Chiefs boss, Dave Rennie, and the new Connacht man said he had initially hoped to have been Rennie’s replacement, but was delighted to move to Galway in search of a head coach role.

“I had aspirations to replace Dave. The reason I went to the Chiefs was to become the leader of that organisation. That didn’t happen. It came down to a two-horse race and I got second,” said Keane.

“It was always my intention to want to go back to being a head coach so when I was offered that opportunity, particularly here, I saw it as a really good opportunity to get back to being a head coach.”

After four years under Lam, Keane has asked the Connacht squad to play a slightly different game plan to his compatriot. Gone is the rigid structure Lam liked to employ, in comes Keane’s ‘play what’s in front of you’ game.

Whether that means Connacht will put boot to ball more often remains to be seen, but Keane insists he sees the talent that he needs to play his style of rugby.

“I think it will be enjoyable game from the players’ perspective, and I think the supporters will enjoy it too. There is no point saying we are going to play this and that, then it’s raining or it’s blowing or snowing. We’ll be a ‘horses for courses’ mentality,” he said.

“I’m a terribly competitive human at the best of times, but I don’t think it would be interesting to talk about what I think (we can accomplish), ‘can we do this and can we do that’.

“We can do anything, we’re just going to do whatever we can. We are going to get better every day. We are going to enjoy each other’s company and we are going to grow off the pitch and on the pitch and that’s going to be good.

“I have my own personal goals and my own personal ambitions and things like that, but this organisation, the players and myself, we all want to be the best we can be. We want to move forward.”

Known as a slightly eccentric character from his time in New Zealand rugby, Keane earned the moniker ‘The Mad Professor’ because of his tendency to think deeply about the game. He says he becomes enveloped, and cannot stop dissecting his opponents and scheming for his team.

“The unfortunate thing for myself is that I dream about rugby. I dream about it when I’m awake and when I’m asleep,” he said.

“I have that mantle as you just described from a number of colleagues, because I am always trying to think ahead, innovate if you like. Innovation has always been part of my creed about playing the game and sometimes when you are listening to me you can get lost because I’m away with the fairies.

“I enjoy the game, I love the game passionately, I love the whole thing about rugby. It’s a big part of my life. Dreaming about it when I’m awake and when I’m asleep, and trying to innovate, that’s part of KK, that’s what he’s about. It’s a bit sad but...”

Before their competitive games start, Connacht face preseason challenges against Wasps in Coventry next Wednesday, before they welcome Lam’s Bristol to the Sportsground on Saturday week.

One certain absentee from those games and their league opener is Bundee Aki, who has yet to return to full training following an off-season shoulder injury. “He’s progressing well, we’ve got a bridle on him at the moment, trying to hold him back. He’s champing at the bit, looking pretty good.’ He’ll have a second-round return.

“He’s a very impressive man, his workrate and raw-boned attitude to the game is music to my ears.”

Meanwhile, Connacht chief executive Willie Ruane said progress on developing a new stadium is slow. “We’re at the phase now where we have three potential locations... unfortunately we’re working on other people’s pace, so we’re dependent on others. It’s frustrating,” he said.