Former Munster star James Coughlan named director of rugby at Biarritz

The Cork native takes over the role from Matthew Clarkin with the club battling relegation in the ProD2 - the French second division.

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024 - 19:04

Shane Donovan

Former Munster No. 8 James Coughlan has been announced as the new director of rugby at French outfit Biarritz.

Coughlan takes over the role from Matthew Clarkin with the club battling relegation in the ProD2 - the French second division.

"I am delighted to be Sporting Director of the BOPB," he told the club's official website.

"I played for a long time at Munster, a team with such a special history against Biarritz. As a player, I lost to BOPB, and I won, but this crowd has always marked me.

"The BO fans in Aguilera and even away to Thomond Park created an intimidating and impressive atmosphere, something I experienced from the Munster fans.

"I can't wait to see you in Aguilera and to start this new season. Now, let's get to work."

Damian de Allende: 'The Irish don't strike me as people who are emotional'

Cork native Coughlan made 139 appearances for Munster across eight years before moving to to Pau in 2014.

The 43-year-old retired in 2017 after three years among the playing staff at Pau, and immediately linked up as an academy coach at the club.

The former Dolphin RFC player and Christian Brother College student’s coaching career has taken him Aix to Brive and onto Toulon, where he had held the role of defence coach since 2021.

The former Glen Rovers man's next chapter will involve the task of reviving sleeping French giants Biarritz, currently residing in the doldrums of the ProD2.

The height of the club’s success coincided with that of Munster’s, with the pair meeting in the 2006 Heineken Cup final, in which Munster triumphed. They also lost out in the 2010 equivalent to Toulouse.