Coaching not in the future plans for Billy Holland as family life beckons

Billy Holland, centre, and Gavin Coombes fist bump following the Guinness PRO14 match between Munster and Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park in Limerick. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

There comes a point in the life of a professional sportsperson when that daily drive to training seems to take longer and the trips for away games that bit more wearing.

And when you have experienced the grief that Billy Holland did when he and wife Lanlih heartbreakingly lost their baby daughter Emmeline but have been blessed with a second chance at a family, then there is simply no choice to make other than to devote what time you possibly can to the rollercoaster of domestic life unimpeded by the demands of top-flight rugby.

It was not the only reason the Munster forward has decided to call time on his 14-year career with his home province. At 35 years of age, the Corkman acknowledges he is fortunate to be able to exit the game he still loves on his own terms. Yet family, including his one-year-old son Matthew, was the overriding factor.

“I have had first-hand experience of how important family is, and how it is so important to enjoy the everyday moments of life, and the ups and downs of that.

“I have an incredible appreciation of watching … my son is one tomorrow, watching him taking his first steps at the moment. I am lucky to be able to see that. You don’t want to be missing that because I’m away for a weekend or I’m away at training or whatnot.

“Everyone works 9 to 5, Monday to Friday when you finish playing rugby, so it’s not like I’m just going to be sitting at home.

Rugby is all-consuming and it dominates family life. My wife has sacrificed many things over the years to allow me to play rugby.

“You can’t plan ahead, these are all things that professional rugby players deal with, that’s just the way it is. But I have a strong appreciation of wanting to be at home. It is the little things that I take joy out of in my home life.”

Billy Holland at Munster squad training earlier this week. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

While Holland regrets he could not add to his single Ireland cap, earned against Canada in November 2016, his service to Munster will leave a legacy of which to be proud and his departure will be a big loss.

Holland’s durability — he became the province’s second most-capped player last Friday when he made his 241st appearance in red — is just one aspect of that. His leadership and lineout analysis has been invaluable and he was earmarked as a coach of the future earlier this season by forwards coach Graham Rowntree.

Billy Holland after his one and only cap for Ireland, in an international against Canada. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Yet while Holland says he has options when he quits playing, coaching in professional rugby is definitely not one of them.

“I’ve a few things in the pipeline, nothing concrete. I’m not going to go into coaching. It is the most time-consuming, difficult job that I’ve seen. It’s a very tough job and I’ve a lot of respect for all coaches.

“I’m not going to just walk totally away from rugby but I’m not going to be working in rugby in a professional
capacity. I’m lucky. I’ve been through college, I’ve done a couple of courses and so a few things in the pipeline but nothing concrete.

I’m just going to take a little bit of time when I finish to assess what I want to do, relax, reset, and go again with whatever the future may hold.

There was a time much earlier in his career when Holland was forced to contemplate his future with Munster.

“When you look back, I got my 100th cap in 2014. I was nearly 30 by the time I got 100 caps and I have racked up 140 in my 30s, which is quite unusual. When Rob Penney was leaving I had a sit-down with him, and he thought it was best for me to move on and move to greener pastures.

“I didn’t and I’m glad I stayed put. I broke my ankle fairly quickly after that and we had a tough season under Axel’s first year. I came in and it just went well and it snowballed. It is the same with so many fellas in the squads, throughout all the provinces. Once you get a run of games it became a lot easier to perform well.

Billy Holland: It’s difficult to build any sort of confidence or momentum. Picture: INPHO/Tommy Dickson

“Whereas if you put in, like I was for many years, a match here and a match there when the lads are away, it’s difficult to get a run of games. It’s difficult to build any sort of confidence or momentum. A huge part of it is confidence.”

Now Holland feels it is his mission to pass on that confidence, and some trade secrets, to those who will follow in his footsteps as he encourages younger players to become Munster’s next generation of leaders.

“Yeah, I love it. It’s something that I really enjoy doing but in terms of imparting my knowledge, certainly in the last year or so I’ve sat down with the second rows a little bit more. We all help each other out.

“We have lineout meetings and if you’re not playing you help guys out, certainly. But this is also a dog eat dog, selfish world to a certain extent.

This is professional sport, you have to have something unique to yourself and to your own game otherwise you won’t last long and everyone would be the same.