PAT LAM’S TIME with Connacht is drawing to a close, and as he prepares for his final Guinness Pro12 game on home soil tomorrow night, he reflects on his memorable days with the province.
The New Zealand-born coach, who arrived at the club in the 2013/2014 season, guided Connacht to Pro12 glory last year with a win over Leinster at Murrayfield.
Lam now prepares to take up the role of head coach with Bristol, where he will be joined by Connacht backs coach Conor McPhillips, and Irish out-half Ian Madigan.
Ahead of tomorrow’s fixture against Scarlets (TG4, 19.35), Lam has been featured in a special video produced by TG4, in which he pays tribute to the Connacht players and the people who they represent.
He also talks about that famous day in Murrayfield and the atmosphere that preceded the Pro12 final.
“I’ve never ever experienced that sort of welcome from our fans singing ‘The Fields of Athenry,’ chanting ‘Connacht’. We all had tears in our eyes and I knew it was a special day.
“That whole final was about not worrying about losing. It was about going out to win it.”
He adds: “I think rugby reflects life in as a community and for me now, Connacht rugby is not a rugby team, Connacht rugby is the west of Ireland and it’s the people from Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo and Galway. And for me and my family, this is about some special people that we’ve met.
“They are like family to us and it’ll always be special. It’s a place we’ll never forget.”
Take a look at the video in full here:
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