What a shame Connacht had to deal with their head coach’s impending departure, rather than this Saturday’s massive Champions Cup game with Wasps.
The westerners could tee up their first ever passage to the knock-out stages of Europe’s biggest rugby competition by taking the lion’s share of the spoils in the Wasps’ double-header.
Lam was joined by Connacht chief executive Willie Ruane and player Tiernan O’Halloran at The Sportsground this afternoon and most of the talk was about the coach’s decision to join Bristol next summer.
The former Samoan international and Auckland Blues coach led Connacht to last season’s Guinness PRO12 title and was suddenly hot property in the coaching world.
Lam cut an emotional figure at the press conference and said:
“I’m never about the money. This decision was about my family. I arrived here as a sacked coach. This my reality.”
It was truly a remarkable turnaround from Lam as he revived his coaching career and took an unfancied team from a previous league high of 7th to the winners’ enclosure and a return to Champions Cup rugby.
The 48-year-old also revealed that he had turned down an initial offer from Bristol and was set to remain at Connacht until the Premiership’s basement dwellers returned with an improved deal, which is said to be in the region of £750,000 a year.
Pat Lam outlines some of the reasons why he's leaving Connacht after initially turning down Bristol offer. More on @rtenews pic.twitter.com/TBrfxYLqhj
— Pat McGrath (@patmcgrath) December 7, 2016
Video via RTÉ’s Pat McGrath
O’Halloran barely got a look-in but, when eventually asked about Lam, insisted the players’ focus has solely been on the back-to-back games with a potentially lethal Wasps side.
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