Connacht anxious to nail down Lam contract extension

Connacht are hopeful of tying down a deal which will keep Pat Lam in charge at the Sportsground for several years.

Lam’s contract finishes at the end of this season and while there is an option of a one year extension, Connacht are anxious to keep him on board for the next few years.

Chief executive Willie Ruane said: “Pat is doing a great job, as is all of his management team. They are working incredibly hard and they have created a really good working environment there for all the players where they are able to learn and improve on a daily basis.”

This is Lam’s second full season in charge — he arrived in Galway for the concluding stages of the 2012-13 season when he shadowed outgoing coach Eric Elwood for a few months — and already they have more wins this campaign than in all of last season. In his first season Lam, a former Heineken Cup winner with Northampton Saints, guided Connacht to six league wins in 22 games and three Heineken Cup wins, including their famous win over Toulouse 16-14 in France.

A top six finish is the primary target this season and the 24-16 win over Munster keeps them firmly on course for that and the possibility of qualifying for Europe’s premier competition off their bat for the first time. They are also in contention for a quarter-final spot in the Challenge Cup with three wins from four games.

But it is their Pro12 form which has illustrated the upsurge in their form with seven wins and a draw from 12 outings.

Lam, who has bolstered a young squad with three Kiwi signings Tom McCartney, Bundee Aki and All Black Mils Muliaina, has developed a strong culture at the Sportsground and Ruane said they are anxious that he remains on board to develop that further.

“From our perspective we are having those conversations with Pat. Of course we would like to keep him here at Connacht.

“Those conversations are ongoing and hopefully we will be able to get something agreed over the next while,” added the former Connacht full-back who was appointed chief executive in the summer.