u20 Six Nations: Nigel Carolan doctrine all about putting trust in players

January 2015. Nigel Carolan is sitting in the Bective Rangers clubhouse at Donnybrook Stadium explaining his coaching philosophy before the upcoming Six Nations campaign that will be his first in charge and it is a recipe few supporters would refuse.

He speaks about trusting his players, on and off the pitch. His boys will conduct their own opposition analysis before games and the reviews afterwards before presenting their findings back to management. Even their captain, Nick McCarthy, is selected by his peers.

It’s the same on the pitch. The new boss has no interest in players who look over their shoulder at the coaches’ box during a game. “I don’t coach by remote control,” he explains. Clearly, no automatons need apply.