WHEN GARY KEEGAN puts his IRFU tracksuit on and heads to Abbotstown for the start of a new campaign, he keeps a close eye on how the players interact on their first day back in camp. As Ireland’s performance coach, that first day together is one of his favourites, as Keegan quickly gets a measure of the temperature within the group.
“In the Irish set-up, the lads are now Irish players,” Keegan says. “They’re not four provinces. There’s no bowed heads or anything, just back into their teammate environment and they lock in pretty quickly thereafter. There may be hangovers individually, but they don’t come in with that as a collective because now they’re in the Irish jersey.”
In a rare sit-down interview with The 42, Keegan explains the ins-and-outs of his role within Andy Farrell’s Ireland camp.
********
“Day one, if you were a fly on the wall, what you would experience is the players greeting each other, laughter, smiling, happy to be in camp, back together as a cohesive group,” Keegan explains.
“You get this buzz and this energy, a lot of speaking, a lot of laughing, a lot sub-groups standing around. Often then, we’ll have the opening interaction between Andy and the team. You’re not really looking to pick up (body language), but at times you can have an individual pop over and say, ‘I want to try and get locked in early so that I’m ahead of the game’.”
Gary Keegan was speaking at a Benecol habit-stacking panel discussion in Dublin. David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE
David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
Keegan’s role has evolved over the years. Farrell first brought him on board in late 2020. At the time, Keegan was already a renowned figure in Irish sport thanks to his success within Irish boxing and with Jim Gavin’s all-conquering Dublin football squad. Now he works full-time with Ireland during international camps, his work centering around ensuring the players are in the best place possible to stay focused and deliver come game day.
“We start with building your personal plan, getting clarity around what needs to go in there. Every player reshapes it and it’s unique to them.
“We talk about hygiene of the mind, just like hygiene of the hands, so you wash your mind out through a process. So they’d finish the day with a review of their day. What did I get done? What did I target? Today was worthwhile because, or, I missed ‘X’ so I’ll put it into the next session. And then they set out the following day happy that they’re allowed put their head on the pillow with no bad conscience.”
He has no input on the actual rugby side of things, but might provide feedback to coaches around their delivery or messaging. The Dubliner will run group sessions with players across a camp, but is also available for one-on-one sessions. Some of the more regular squad members will have a good sense of when they need to check in with Keegan. Some might be happy to go a whole camp without a sitdown. With a new or younger player, Keegan will touch base early on, conscious they might be unsure of how to interact or start the conversation.
“We could have anything up to 65%-70% of players in one-to-one scenarios. Within that group, quite a number of the players would be part of the starting 15, but it varies with ebbs and flows depending on where we’re at, new players coming into the system etc. Some players are just in a good place, they have consistency around their performance, they’re very happy with the structure they have around themselves in the week and they’re able to navigate the schedule very effectively.
“The group sessions then are kind of like a fishing session where you’re putting out contact and stimulating guys and reinforcing that these are things you need to pay attention to.”
And with each camp, there is an understanding that a settled coaching staff need to keep things fresh and exciting for the players. Keegan is in his fifth year on board, but Farrell first joined as defence coach back in 2016. Simon Easterby, Paul O’Connell and John Fogarty are also long-serving assistant coaches. This is where the messaging and theming around each international window becomes so important.
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“If you continue to be convinced by something, you will impress it upon others,” Keegan says.
Keegan works closely with Ireland head coach Andy Farrell. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“But if you’re not convinced, it’s very hard to convince others. I think in all the high performance systems I’ve worked in that were progressive, you have to be deliberate in your evolution. So how you’re incrementally growing, developing and deepening the understanding of what we’re trying to achieve.
“I think most setups have some level of transition going on at different times. Some are subtle, you don’t even recognise them. Some are bigger, whether that be players, staff, but there’s always (something new), and some of it is deliberate because you’re trying to create that uplift you’re looking for.”
This is perhaps why the popular Mick Kearney has been brought back on board as team manager for the Six Nations.
“I think good systems are experimenting on the edges while protecting the core,” he continues.
“Campaign to campaign, they’re looking to evolve and adjust and make subtle little pieces where the players notice, where the message is the same, but it’s dressed up slightly different, so they continue to create a stimulus that’s fresh around the group. The whole idea is not to stay where you are but to deepen your understanding of it, so when you go out to play, it’s much more instinctive.”
Some methods have been particularly successful. Keegan recalls how between 2020 and 2022 – Farrell’s first years as head coach – there was a focus on helping the players build personal relationships which went beyond the sportsperson.
“You get behind where he grew up, where he went to school, his first girlfriend, his favourite movie, his favourite book, the food he hates, that type of stuff. Simple stuff, but it broadens into something much deeper.
“Their ‘why’. Why are you here? Why do you do this? They’re all the things that become the glue, so when you’re in a really tough fight and in the last minutes of the game and you’re still in it, they’re the difference I think.”
Keegan has been encouraged by being able to take a slightly more hands-off approach as the seasons roll by. Increasingly, there has been a focus on empowering the players to take ownership around his performance space. Now, Keegan will run ideas by squad members who are particularly strong or comfortable around their performance and preparation.
“We’ve evolved. You don’t want to create a support that people become dependent on.
Your job is to almost make yourself obsolete because guys just have a really good system around themselves. I’d like to think that’s what I try to do.
“You’d be mad not to consult with players who have bandwidth to do that. I’m not overloading the player still learning his trade, but a player who has a bandwidth to look at something and say, ‘I like that, I think that would land.’ But that’s where the relationships are well established and there’s a high level of trust.”
Those high-trust relationships become important resources for Keegan. There are times where he feels a message or thought can be delivered more effectively from player to player, rather that coming through him.
“We respect our peers above anyone else, and so getting peers to share and being open and be vulnerable with each other is really powerful.
“I could send a Munster player to a Leinster player, or a Leinster player to a Munster player, and they’d sit down and have a conversation and say, ‘This is my how to, it may not be yours, but this is what it does for me in terms of my confidence, my focus and clarity going into the week’. That’s hugely beneficial, you won’t see that in many environments, but that sharing of IP is something we want to be open about.”
The aim is to achieve a consistency around preparation and have the players flowing through their week. During windows where results or performances are not where the group want them to be, there is no time to feel sorry for yourself.
“You don’t get time to nurse your wounds. You’ve got to get back on the horse. There’s a focus based on what we found and discovered through our review and we closed the gap and put an emphasis on certain things. And I understand, you can be sore afterwards, but don’t be sore now, right? Get back and figure out what we need to do to move forward.”
There are obvious external factors which can knock that focus off course. Media commentary is one. Ahead of the upcoming Six Nations the sense Ireland are trending in the wrong direction is not an uncommon opinion. Keegan says while there is awareness outside narrative can seep into players’ thoughts, it would never be addressed within camp.
“Obviously individuals may stress about it from time to time, but it’s not something that infiltrates the group.
“We can only control what we can control and the outside will have a commentary and opinion, but they’re outside of what’s happening inside. So we’ve got to allow that to happen. We’re visible, it’s public, people have an interest, people care, and we just have to accept people have a view of where things are at because this rugby team is important to them and rugby is important to them, and we understand that.”
The issue of social media is harder to navigate. Keegan acknowledges it’s difficult for younger players in particular to keep their eyes off a world which can get toxic and personal. In fact, he accepts it’s now an unavoidable part of life as a sportsperson.
“This generation has grown up with social media. They’re not like me, because I’m a dinosaur in that space, so I don’t know is the answer.
Keegan with Ireland out-half Jack Crowley. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“Yes, it could have impact (on performance), especially if it’s toxic and it’s personal, but these players have a lot more tools and skills to be able to keep the outside out. They’re probably better at separating that and detaching from it.
“It’s probably a little bit concerning that (some of) the general public is starting to maybe comment in a way where they are not considering these are young players trying to learn their trade and do the best work they can on the field. But it is what it is, and if you have no control over it, you’re better off just leaving it as best you can outside. If that’s where commentary is going and there’s no filter on it, well then you’ve no choice but to become better at how you navigate and manage that as a player.”
When it’s all running smoothly, much of Keegan’s work can be led by the players, and consist of small chats here and there.
“It’s all behaviour-driven. So what behaviours are we going after? And then you get a consistency around that. And when there’s a little bit of disruption or noise that creeps in, really the best players come in and say, ‘I just want to wash this piece out’, and they get a lot more comfortable. You give a sounding board, it’s ‘Here’s where I am’, and you get to a better place. So in 10 minutes, they’re gone and it’s nice and clean.”
Five years in, it’s a role that still energises Keegan.
“What I enjoy most about these high performance environments is that nothing is guaranteed. Everything has to be created, and everything that was generated has to be regenerated, but you might be finding different sources to regenerate it.
“I like the idea of that. It keeps you on your toes, keeps you on edge in a very positive way, and what I also love about the environment is you have to keep learning. There’s long hours of study and research and trying to refine stuff and get better, that’s happening in every role, across the team. There’s not many environments you get access to that after my career; I’m in there at times feeling I’ve still a bit of an apprenticeship to go.”
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Inside Gary Keegan's role with the Ireland rugby team
WHEN GARY KEEGAN puts his IRFU tracksuit on and heads to Abbotstown for the start of a new campaign, he keeps a close eye on how the players interact on their first day back in camp. As Ireland’s performance coach, that first day together is one of his favourites, as Keegan quickly gets a measure of the temperature within the group.
“In the Irish set-up, the lads are now Irish players,” Keegan says. “They’re not four provinces. There’s no bowed heads or anything, just back into their teammate environment and they lock in pretty quickly thereafter. There may be hangovers individually, but they don’t come in with that as a collective because now they’re in the Irish jersey.”
In a rare sit-down interview with The 42, Keegan explains the ins-and-outs of his role within Andy Farrell’s Ireland camp.
********
“Day one, if you were a fly on the wall, what you would experience is the players greeting each other, laughter, smiling, happy to be in camp, back together as a cohesive group,” Keegan explains.
“You get this buzz and this energy, a lot of speaking, a lot of laughing, a lot sub-groups standing around. Often then, we’ll have the opening interaction between Andy and the team. You’re not really looking to pick up (body language), but at times you can have an individual pop over and say, ‘I want to try and get locked in early so that I’m ahead of the game’.”
Keegan’s role has evolved over the years. Farrell first brought him on board in late 2020. At the time, Keegan was already a renowned figure in Irish sport thanks to his success within Irish boxing and with Jim Gavin’s all-conquering Dublin football squad. Now he works full-time with Ireland during international camps, his work centering around ensuring the players are in the best place possible to stay focused and deliver come game day.
“We start with building your personal plan, getting clarity around what needs to go in there. Every player reshapes it and it’s unique to them.
“We talk about hygiene of the mind, just like hygiene of the hands, so you wash your mind out through a process. So they’d finish the day with a review of their day. What did I get done? What did I target? Today was worthwhile because, or, I missed ‘X’ so I’ll put it into the next session. And then they set out the following day happy that they’re allowed put their head on the pillow with no bad conscience.”
He has no input on the actual rugby side of things, but might provide feedback to coaches around their delivery or messaging. The Dubliner will run group sessions with players across a camp, but is also available for one-on-one sessions. Some of the more regular squad members will have a good sense of when they need to check in with Keegan. Some might be happy to go a whole camp without a sitdown. With a new or younger player, Keegan will touch base early on, conscious they might be unsure of how to interact or start the conversation.
“We could have anything up to 65%-70% of players in one-to-one scenarios. Within that group, quite a number of the players would be part of the starting 15, but it varies with ebbs and flows depending on where we’re at, new players coming into the system etc. Some players are just in a good place, they have consistency around their performance, they’re very happy with the structure they have around themselves in the week and they’re able to navigate the schedule very effectively.
“The group sessions then are kind of like a fishing session where you’re putting out contact and stimulating guys and reinforcing that these are things you need to pay attention to.”
And with each camp, there is an understanding that a settled coaching staff need to keep things fresh and exciting for the players. Keegan is in his fifth year on board, but Farrell first joined as defence coach back in 2016. Simon Easterby, Paul O’Connell and John Fogarty are also long-serving assistant coaches. This is where the messaging and theming around each international window becomes so important.
“If you continue to be convinced by something, you will impress it upon others,” Keegan says.
“But if you’re not convinced, it’s very hard to convince others. I think in all the high performance systems I’ve worked in that were progressive, you have to be deliberate in your evolution. So how you’re incrementally growing, developing and deepening the understanding of what we’re trying to achieve.
“I think most setups have some level of transition going on at different times. Some are subtle, you don’t even recognise them. Some are bigger, whether that be players, staff, but there’s always (something new), and some of it is deliberate because you’re trying to create that uplift you’re looking for.”
This is perhaps why the popular Mick Kearney has been brought back on board as team manager for the Six Nations.
“I think good systems are experimenting on the edges while protecting the core,” he continues.
“Campaign to campaign, they’re looking to evolve and adjust and make subtle little pieces where the players notice, where the message is the same, but it’s dressed up slightly different, so they continue to create a stimulus that’s fresh around the group. The whole idea is not to stay where you are but to deepen your understanding of it, so when you go out to play, it’s much more instinctive.”
Some methods have been particularly successful. Keegan recalls how between 2020 and 2022 – Farrell’s first years as head coach – there was a focus on helping the players build personal relationships which went beyond the sportsperson.
“You get behind where he grew up, where he went to school, his first girlfriend, his favourite movie, his favourite book, the food he hates, that type of stuff. Simple stuff, but it broadens into something much deeper.
“Their ‘why’. Why are you here? Why do you do this? They’re all the things that become the glue, so when you’re in a really tough fight and in the last minutes of the game and you’re still in it, they’re the difference I think.”
Keegan has been encouraged by being able to take a slightly more hands-off approach as the seasons roll by. Increasingly, there has been a focus on empowering the players to take ownership around his performance space. Now, Keegan will run ideas by squad members who are particularly strong or comfortable around their performance and preparation.
“We’ve evolved. You don’t want to create a support that people become dependent on.
“You’d be mad not to consult with players who have bandwidth to do that. I’m not overloading the player still learning his trade, but a player who has a bandwidth to look at something and say, ‘I like that, I think that would land.’ But that’s where the relationships are well established and there’s a high level of trust.”
Those high-trust relationships become important resources for Keegan. There are times where he feels a message or thought can be delivered more effectively from player to player, rather that coming through him.
“We respect our peers above anyone else, and so getting peers to share and being open and be vulnerable with each other is really powerful.
“I could send a Munster player to a Leinster player, or a Leinster player to a Munster player, and they’d sit down and have a conversation and say, ‘This is my how to, it may not be yours, but this is what it does for me in terms of my confidence, my focus and clarity going into the week’. That’s hugely beneficial, you won’t see that in many environments, but that sharing of IP is something we want to be open about.”
The aim is to achieve a consistency around preparation and have the players flowing through their week. During windows where results or performances are not where the group want them to be, there is no time to feel sorry for yourself.
“You don’t get time to nurse your wounds. You’ve got to get back on the horse. There’s a focus based on what we found and discovered through our review and we closed the gap and put an emphasis on certain things. And I understand, you can be sore afterwards, but don’t be sore now, right? Get back and figure out what we need to do to move forward.”
There are obvious external factors which can knock that focus off course. Media commentary is one. Ahead of the upcoming Six Nations the sense Ireland are trending in the wrong direction is not an uncommon opinion. Keegan says while there is awareness outside narrative can seep into players’ thoughts, it would never be addressed within camp.
“Obviously individuals may stress about it from time to time, but it’s not something that infiltrates the group.
“We can only control what we can control and the outside will have a commentary and opinion, but they’re outside of what’s happening inside. So we’ve got to allow that to happen. We’re visible, it’s public, people have an interest, people care, and we just have to accept people have a view of where things are at because this rugby team is important to them and rugby is important to them, and we understand that.”
The issue of social media is harder to navigate. Keegan acknowledges it’s difficult for younger players in particular to keep their eyes off a world which can get toxic and personal. In fact, he accepts it’s now an unavoidable part of life as a sportsperson.
“This generation has grown up with social media. They’re not like me, because I’m a dinosaur in that space, so I don’t know is the answer.
“Yes, it could have impact (on performance), especially if it’s toxic and it’s personal, but these players have a lot more tools and skills to be able to keep the outside out. They’re probably better at separating that and detaching from it.
“It’s probably a little bit concerning that (some of) the general public is starting to maybe comment in a way where they are not considering these are young players trying to learn their trade and do the best work they can on the field. But it is what it is, and if you have no control over it, you’re better off just leaving it as best you can outside. If that’s where commentary is going and there’s no filter on it, well then you’ve no choice but to become better at how you navigate and manage that as a player.”
When it’s all running smoothly, much of Keegan’s work can be led by the players, and consist of small chats here and there.
“It’s all behaviour-driven. So what behaviours are we going after? And then you get a consistency around that. And when there’s a little bit of disruption or noise that creeps in, really the best players come in and say, ‘I just want to wash this piece out’, and they get a lot more comfortable. You give a sounding board, it’s ‘Here’s where I am’, and you get to a better place. So in 10 minutes, they’re gone and it’s nice and clean.”
Five years in, it’s a role that still energises Keegan.
“What I enjoy most about these high performance environments is that nothing is guaranteed. Everything has to be created, and everything that was generated has to be regenerated, but you might be finding different sources to regenerate it.
“I like the idea of that. It keeps you on your toes, keeps you on edge in a very positive way, and what I also love about the environment is you have to keep learning. There’s long hours of study and research and trying to refine stuff and get better, that’s happening in every role, across the team. There’s not many environments you get access to that after my career; I’m in there at times feeling I’ve still a bit of an apprenticeship to go.”
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Gary Keegan Interview Ireland Rugby