Cork Con target play-off return under new head coach Brian Scott

Cork Con have switched up their coaching set-up ahead of the new season with Brian Scott taking over as head coach from Jonny Holland

Cork Con winger Seán Condon: 'I’ve never seen training as competitive as it is at the moment. You’re fighting for everything and there is a really good feeling around the club. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Cork Constitution have tweaked their coaching set-up ahead of the new Energia AIL season with Brian Scott taking over from Jonny Holland as head coach.

Christian Brothers College announced in May that Holland, the school’s elite performance director for the previous two years, would become their director of rugby and senior head coach. He’s a busy man, but Holland, who became Cork Con head coach in 2022 and led them to the 2023/24 Division 1A title, will remain involved with the club, overseeing their attack.

“There has been a small switch-around,” explained Cork Con winger Seán Condon.

“It’s quite exciting. It’s really good to hold on to Jonny. He’s a complete savant. He’s still deeply involved with us, which is brilliant. He’s at training and we go through the video analysis with him.” 

Ex-Munster prop Scott was forced to retire from playing on medical grounds six years ago. He subsequently moved into coaching and steps up from defence coach at Con. Billy Crowley comes in as attack and backs coach while former Munster players Stephen Archer and Darren O’Shea will coach the forwards.

“The lads massively respect Scotty as well,” said Condon.

“He has been brilliant since coming in. A few other lads have joined the backroom team and added a lot to it. It’s really exciting from a player’s point of view and for the coaching staff as well.

“We also have Billy Crowley, who played for us a couple of seasons ago, on the coaching staff now. The lads have absolutely loved having him involved. He has been really good since coming in. You can definitely see the influence of Billy and Jonny in the first few games. It has been brilliant.” Con have made a good start to the season in the Munster Senior Cup, reaching the final where they will play Garryowen in the decider on December 19. Their AIL campaign gets underway on Saturday at home to Terenure.

Numbers at training have been good, “sometimes 40 or 50 lads at a time”. That includes new faces. Éanna McCarthy is in from Connacht while Frankie Óg Sheahan and Bobby O’Callaghan have taken a step up from schools level. That’s all needed after a season which saw them miss out on the play-offs for the first time in 11 years.

“You’re trying to have as big and as strong a squad as possible because it takes an army in the AIL,” said Condon.

“It’s more about being a bit more meaty in the sense that we have a lot more players now. We’ve brought a few lads back in and have been lucky enough to bring in a couple of lads from abroad who played with us previously. It has also been good to hold on to lads. We have a really big squad this season.

“I’ve never seen training as competitive as it is at the moment. You’re fighting for everything and there is a really good feeling around the club. No one’s spot is safe, and rightly so.”

Last season, just three points separated Con from fourth-placed Terenure who took the final play-off spot. Still, there was major disappointment about not extending their season.

“There is an expectation in the club,” said Condon.

“The players feel it and the coaches have it as well. You’re trying to add to the wall and do what the teams before you have done and then push on from there.

“If you asked any of the other nine teams in Division 1A what a successful season would be for them, I don’t think anyone would say anything other than getting into the top four and winning the AIL.

“Where there aren’t wins, there are learnings. Coming into this season, it’s something we can take with us and learn from.

“The best thing about missing out for the first time in 11 years is that there is going to be a next season. Getting stuck into it straight away and carrying that experience with us is quite important.

“It has been spoken about already. We want to put ourselves in a position where we’re playing rugby as late as possible.”