THE LITTLE INTONATIONS and rhythms of his speech are subtle enough but then James Coughlan will drop in the odd French word that makes it very clear – he’s thinking in French and translating back into English as we speak.
So it’s only natural that the French versions slip in there at times. Coughlan calls the stands in stadiums tribunes. Individual players are individuels. The academy is the CDF – centre de formation.
The former Munster number eight has been in France for eight years now so it shouldn’t really come as any great surprise. And there is still the old familiar Cork lilt, but he’s ingrained in life over there. When he’s at home, Coughlan speaks only in French with his partner Marie and three-year-old son Oscar.
He moved over to Pau in 2014 when he was still playing, the plan being to see out his career on a three-year contract and then return home when he retired.
Now, he’s the forwards coach of Toulon as they launch their new Top 14 campaign today with a home clash against Bayonne at the famous Stade Mayol. It’s Coughlan’s second season with the club following his stints coaching with Pau, Provence, and Brive.
“It’s eight years now that I’ve been in France,” says Coughlan. “It has gone in the blink of an eye. I never envisaged this, but it has been amazing.
“English is nearly my second language now. Niall [Woods, his agent] said the same to me – who do you think you are?!”
Coughlan’s emotions this week have been the usual mixture of nerves and excitement. This is the week where every coach hopes they’ve done enough. Everyone has had a great pre-season, everyone is fresh and buzzing. But there is really no certainty.
Last season, Toulon had a horror start to the campaign with international players away and injuries quickly piling up. Head coach Patrice Collazo stepped aside in October, leaving Coughlan as interim boss for a week before Franck Azéma came in to take over.
As late as February, Toulon were still bottom of the Top 14. But they managed to turn it around dramatically from there, narrowly missing out on a play-off spot and reaching the final of the Challenge Cup, where they were beaten by Lyon.
It was a rollercoaster first season with Toulon for Coughlan, particularly his experience as head coach.
“It gives you great insight into what it is to be the manager,” he says. “You might have to deal with a guy getting in a car accident and you have to go with him to the cops because he doesn’t speak French. It might be fellas struggling because the club changed the cars they give the players. There’s the medical stuff… Ah, it isn’t a 9 to 5. There’s no off switch.
“I start early anyway but you’d be leaving home at 4.30am and you’d be coming home at 9pm if you were lucky. During the internationals, you’re onto Dave Rennie and Jacques Nienaber about international players. You have to deal with the CDF – who’s playing for the espoirs and U20 teams.
“Everything in between as well – the media want to talk to you, the financial department needs something, the medical staff need something else. You have to have confidence in the team you have. Honestly, the rugby is the easy part of it. Everything else is the donkey work.”
When Azéma came in, Coughlan was given responsibility for coaching both the forwards and Toulon’s defence. They finished the season strongly in both of those departments but it was a huge ask for any one person.
As Coughlan explains, you simply cannot coach the backs on their defence of midfield scrums at the same time as having your head buried in a maul with the forwards.
This season, he’s focusing exclusively on the forwards, although he welcomes the fact that the role includes focus on the forwards’ roles in Toulon’s attacking play and their tackle technique in defence.
Toulon have a restructured coaching staff with local man Pierre Mignoni having returned from Lyon as director of rugby and Azéma still the head coach. Among the new additions are contact skills specialist Richie Gray, ex-France halfback Fred Michalak as a skills consultant, and retired international referee Romain Poite to improve their discipline.
“We still say ‘Bonjour, monsieur‘ every time Romain comes in just to wind him up,” says Coughlan with a laugh.
“But no, I’d have known him because he’d have done so many of the big Munster games. It’s good because everyone focuses on discipline, so it’s great to have someone of his experience and expertise in the club. He works down all the age grades through the club and smaller clubs around the place.”
Despite the bolstered coaching staff, Coughlan’s job remains all-consuming. Each weekend in the Top 14 is very different, with teams playing such varying styles. There’s constant analysis, feedback, one-on-ones with players, and much more. Such is the life of a pro coach.
Life on the Mediterranean coast in the rugby-mad city of Toulon is good. The beach is a few 100 metres from where they live, but Coughlan won’t have too much time to get down there once this season kicks into life.
“Eh… work/life balance? No!” he says. “It’s beautiful here and we’re really lucky to be here but once the season starts, there’s no balance, to be honest.”
Toulon have 10 consecutive weekends of Top 14 action ahead before a week off in November.
Even then, Coughlan has been chatting to former Munster team-mate Felix Jones and ex-Toulon lock Eben Etzebeth about the possibility of spending time with the Springboks. He’s also contacted former Toulon back row Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe about getting in with Argentina. He chats regularly with his old Munster forwards coach, Laurie Fisher, who is now working with the Wallabies. Coughlan is mad to keep learning.
“I was chatting to Donnacha Ryan about it and we were saying it’s a selfish job because you have no choice,” he says.
“Whatever days off you have, you try to make the most of them but you don’t have too many. If you didn’t really love it, you wouldn’t be doing it. And if you don’t do the work, you won’t have the job.
“You have to remember that there are loads of people who would love the job so you have to do the hard work to keep it. I’ve looked at it like that from the start, the same as when I was playing. You’re starting from already a bit behind the eight ball and it’s the same here being the foreigner and getting over all of that.
“I love it and I have great support. Marie is brilliant, she has been amazing. She knows that with the job, you have to move and she has been amazing.”
Coughlan knows about the hopping around from experience. He had two years coaching in Pau’s academy and then a season as Pro D2 side Provence’s forwards coach, with his work there convincing Jeremy Davidson to bring him to Brive as the Top 14 club’s defence coach. He impressed again and Toulon came calling last year.
Coughlan readily admits that he can’t be sure what the future holds but he’s honest in saying that working in Ireland would be attractive.
His former Munster team-mate, Mike Prendergast, recently returned as the province’s attack coach after nine years coaching in France. Coughlan would be interested if something similar arose.
“You’d be mad not to,” he says. “I would love it, I would love it. But I’d want to be in a good position if I do go back.
“I’ve experienced lots of levels here – the academy job, the second division, the lower-placed Top 14 team, now with Toulon.
“Maybe a few years ago, if you had asked me, I would have said no. But honestly, if an opportunity was to arise, I would have a good chat with the missus and see. I’d have to seriously think about it.”
His full focus is on Toulon now, though, and they appear to be set up for a stronger season in 2022/23.
The three-time European champions haven’t won a trophy since 2014 and the infamous Mourad Boudjellal sold his majority share in the club in 2019, so these are different times for the club.
There are still superstar players like Cheslin Kolbe – not far off from returning a broken jaw – and the evergreen Sergio Parisse, who still has the lowest body fat in the squad at the age of 38.
Then there’s the hugely impressive captain Charles Ollivon, who will hope to regain the French captaincy too after missing a huge chunk of last season with injury. Coughlan says Ollivon is a bit like Paul O’Connell was as a captain.
“He’s brilliant at supporting the lads, he doesn’t accept any shit from higher up but doesn’t take any shit from lower down. He reminds me a lot of Paulie in that sense, his leadership and his drive.”
So there are plenty of decent operators there for Coughlan to work with as he launches into season number nine in France.
Bonne chance et bon courage.
Great article Murray. Good to hear it’s going so well for James.
Probably the most underrated player to leave Ireland. J Hlip did well for Ireland but Coughlan should have had more opportunities back in the day.
I know how he feels, except that for me it is the other way around!!