Pat Lam has learned to apply carrot with stick

Connacht head coach Pat Lam admits it is difficult to strike a balance between encouraging and criticising his players, but believes man management is something he has improved on since arriving at the western province three years ago.

When asked, at the World Rugby Conference and Exhibition in London, about how he delivers feedback to players, Lam stated that chastising players has “a time and place” in coaching, but warned that it can’t always be the route taken when getting a point across.

“There is a place [for criticism], but the way I am with my players now, particularly the ones I’m coaching now in my fourth season, it’s totally different from my first six months.”