Stade Francais appear to be very optimistic about the arrival of new forwards coach Paul O’Connell.
The former Ireland captain was announced as the Parisian club’s forwards coach earlier this month and said that he was persuaded to leave Limerick by the club’s energy and ambition.
O’Connell will work under former Springboks head coach Heyneke Meyer this season and the players and executives are seemingly excited by what he can bring on and off the pitch this season.
“We know that big players do not always make great coaches,” flanker Sylvain Nicolas told Midi Olympique,
“But he still has a lot of experience in this sector, and he’s not a manager. It’s really going to be a role for us all on the touch, and with him, I think we should move forward, we can not wait to see what he’s going to offer us and how we’re going to work.”
Dr. Hans-Peter Wild, German billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the Capri-Sun group, officially took control of Stade last season and he has goals for the club to become a force in the Top 14 while building a strong academy.
Wild also said upon his takeover that he wants to ‘internationalise’ the club.
“I have studied and lived in Paris, I am a rugby fan, I like the idea of taking on the challenge of making this club more prestigious and internationalize it. We have had a very good relationship of trust.
“I am very enthusiastic about developing rugby with such a prestigious, unique structure with such a strong identity.”
O’Connell appears to be apart of this process, at least according to Stade President Hubert Patricot.
The former Munster lock was one of the biggest figures in the sport during his playing career and it looks as if his profile may also be leaned on for commercial purposes.
“Paul’s recruitment is part of the reconstruction that we have launched,” said Patricot .
“Dr. Wild has been quite clear on the ambition that drives us, so we are giving ourselves the means to achieve the ambition we have displayed. Paul O’Connell has a name that resonates beyond the French borders, of course, but it’s primarily a performance logic, the idea is to go out and find the best ones to move the team forward.
“The first beneficiaries will therefore be the players, and then the echoes we have from our partners are also very positive.
“Overall, people are impressed by the overall recruitment that has been done. subscription and even hospitality which is significantly higher than last year.”
Stade finished in 12th place in last year’s Top 14, narrowly avoiding relegation to the Pro D2.
