JIMMY DUFFY IS settling into the latest stop on his tour of the provinces, preparing for his first season working as Munster forwards coach.
It follows spells in Connacht (2015-21) and Ulster (2024-26) which form part of a colourful coaching life. A coaching life which a few years ago carried him all the way to Australia. It was after his time in Super Rugby that he arrived back to Ireland with no clear sense of what might come next. That was when Ulster head coach Richie Murphy picked up the phone, leading to this latest chapter working back on home soil.
“I didn’t have a plan (after Australia),” Duffy admits.
“Number one it was a family decision. We decided that was the plan, we had no plan, we were going home from Australia and that was that, and then Belfast happened and now Limerick has happened and look, I’m delighted.
“I love coaching. I love working with young people, and a 35-year-old for me is young. People that genuinely want to get better and align themselves to a proper purpose and as long as that motivation is there, I won’t be changing.”
Duffy’s coaching path has opened doors to a fascinating mix of cultures and experiences.
Duffy joined the Western Force in 2022. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
After a six-year stint with Connacht, in 2021 he worked with the Tonga national side.
“Brilliant, culturally. Just very different. You’re in your own little bubble in Ireland and then you get out and see something different and new people with slightly different beliefs and way of doing things, and it freshens you up and forces you to change and adapt.
“That’s probably the best thing I’ve done in terms of not standing still or trying to stand still. You find out about yourself, and you find out about different groups and how to work best with new people all the time. You love where you are when you’re there, but it forces you to broaden your thinking a bit.”
Next up, he went in with the Ireland U20s before packing the bags again and heading to Australia’s Western Force.
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“Brilliant. Paradise, beautiful part of the world, just a long way from everywhere.
“A tough place to be, I think it’s the most remote city on the planet. It’s 3.5 hours to Bali, six hours out to Sydney, so you’re closer to Bali than you are Sydney, which is mad.
“So you were constantly in a state of travel, and it’s tough on that part of the world, but beautiful city and great people. I loved it.”
The next challenge is to help get more out of a young Munster group with plenty of potential, but no shortage of challenges.
The first year of Clayton McMillan’s tenure was a testing one, to say the least. As Munster suffered worrying dips in form and failed to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup, off-field problems – most notably the damaging Roger Randle fiasco – kept the province in the news for all the wrong reasons.
This time around McMillan is taking a more hands-on approach with his own coaching, and there is a fresh feel to the place with Duffy on board and Jared Payne also joining the coaching staff.
And perhaps this is a season where Munster’s team starts to take on a slightly different feel. Numerous times during the chat, Duffy stresses the potential in the young crop of players pushing through at the province.
“Number one (objective) is just to let this group take the mantle, I think is the big thing,” he explains.
“There’s obviously massive history at the club there would be certain pressures with that, but it’s a young enough Munster team, so I think it’s really cool for them as an opportunity to create their space in history as opposed to looking back.”
His track record of working with young players during his Ireland U20s days bodes well in that regard. Duffy is asked what needs to happen for that bunch of younger players to take the next step and begin to truly find their voice in the group.
“Look, the opportunity to play number one. That’s always helpful that you’re thrown in at the competition end, and then you’re playing against top quality sides.
“Like the URC is a very challenging competition now. Champions Cup has always been a challenging competition, you’re playing against the best in Europe, and you’ve only got one way, sink or swim.
Munster are preparing for a URC opener against Glasgow on Saturday. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
“So that’s probably the biggest one, giving them the opportunity to play, and then the other one is the intrinsic motivation of the individual. You can work as much as you like with people that don’t genuinely want to get better, but, I’m happy to say here the lads work incredibly hard.
“There’s a real drive to get better and push on and how long that takes, who knows, but the work ethic at the moment, the motivation is very, very high.
“My role is as a guide,” he adds.
“But I’m in the (coaching) box, I can’t really affect too many things on the pitch. We can do a lot during the week, but I think the best teams are the ones that drive from within the circle and the people who are on the grass who can actually affect the change in that moment.
“So there are a few green shoots in the group, a lot of lads who are actually stepping up in various positions who are driving standards, taking on their own areas and I’m genuinely impressed with the work ethic, and everything about the place at the moment is great.”
Yet it’s rarely smooth sailing at Munster, and Duffy is speaking shortly after the news of Tom Wood’s lengthy lay-off was confirmed, leaving the province with an out-half shortage heading into Saturday’s URC opener with Glasgow Warriors.
Duffy with head coach Clayton McMillan. Bryan Keane
Bryan Keane
With Jack Crowley a long-term absentee and JJ Hanrahan going through return-to-play protocols, academy out-half Charlie O’Shea appears in line to wear the 10 shirt against the Warriors.
“He’s been brilliant. When he presented last week during the meeting you would say he has 200 caps in the way he spoke. If you’re good enough, you’re getting the opportunities, and he’s been magnificent, as all the lads have been. I can’t fault anyone.
“We haven’t played a competitive game yet, we obviously had our pre-season games, but he’s a really impressive young man and ably assisted by the guys around him like JJ and Jack and Tom. They’re all talking and sharing and then competing, which is a big thing. He’s been impressing me and the other staff, daily. He’s been brilliant.”
Listening to Duffy, you get the sense O’Shea might not be the only up-and-comer to get thrown in the deep end over Munster’s challenging start to the new URC season.
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Duffy wants to see young Munster crop 'create their history as opposed to looking back'
JIMMY DUFFY IS settling into the latest stop on his tour of the provinces, preparing for his first season working as Munster forwards coach.
It follows spells in Connacht (2015-21) and Ulster (2024-26) which form part of a colourful coaching life. A coaching life which a few years ago carried him all the way to Australia. It was after his time in Super Rugby that he arrived back to Ireland with no clear sense of what might come next. That was when Ulster head coach Richie Murphy picked up the phone, leading to this latest chapter working back on home soil.
“I didn’t have a plan (after Australia),” Duffy admits.
“Number one it was a family decision. We decided that was the plan, we had no plan, we were going home from Australia and that was that, and then Belfast happened and now Limerick has happened and look, I’m delighted.
“I love coaching. I love working with young people, and a 35-year-old for me is young. People that genuinely want to get better and align themselves to a proper purpose and as long as that motivation is there, I won’t be changing.”
Duffy’s coaching path has opened doors to a fascinating mix of cultures and experiences.
After a six-year stint with Connacht, in 2021 he worked with the Tonga national side.
“Brilliant, culturally. Just very different. You’re in your own little bubble in Ireland and then you get out and see something different and new people with slightly different beliefs and way of doing things, and it freshens you up and forces you to change and adapt.
“That’s probably the best thing I’ve done in terms of not standing still or trying to stand still. You find out about yourself, and you find out about different groups and how to work best with new people all the time. You love where you are when you’re there, but it forces you to broaden your thinking a bit.”
Next up, he went in with the Ireland U20s before packing the bags again and heading to Australia’s Western Force.
“Brilliant. Paradise, beautiful part of the world, just a long way from everywhere.
“So you were constantly in a state of travel, and it’s tough on that part of the world, but beautiful city and great people. I loved it.”
The next challenge is to help get more out of a young Munster group with plenty of potential, but no shortage of challenges.
The first year of Clayton McMillan’s tenure was a testing one, to say the least. As Munster suffered worrying dips in form and failed to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup, off-field problems – most notably the damaging Roger Randle fiasco – kept the province in the news for all the wrong reasons.
This time around McMillan is taking a more hands-on approach with his own coaching, and there is a fresh feel to the place with Duffy on board and Jared Payne also joining the coaching staff.
And perhaps this is a season where Munster’s team starts to take on a slightly different feel. Numerous times during the chat, Duffy stresses the potential in the young crop of players pushing through at the province.
“Number one (objective) is just to let this group take the mantle, I think is the big thing,” he explains.
His track record of working with young players during his Ireland U20s days bodes well in that regard. Duffy is asked what needs to happen for that bunch of younger players to take the next step and begin to truly find their voice in the group.
“Look, the opportunity to play number one. That’s always helpful that you’re thrown in at the competition end, and then you’re playing against top quality sides.
“Like the URC is a very challenging competition now. Champions Cup has always been a challenging competition, you’re playing against the best in Europe, and you’ve only got one way, sink or swim.
“So that’s probably the biggest one, giving them the opportunity to play, and then the other one is the intrinsic motivation of the individual. You can work as much as you like with people that don’t genuinely want to get better, but, I’m happy to say here the lads work incredibly hard.
“There’s a real drive to get better and push on and how long that takes, who knows, but the work ethic at the moment, the motivation is very, very high.
“My role is as a guide,” he adds.
“But I’m in the (coaching) box, I can’t really affect too many things on the pitch. We can do a lot during the week, but I think the best teams are the ones that drive from within the circle and the people who are on the grass who can actually affect the change in that moment.
“So there are a few green shoots in the group, a lot of lads who are actually stepping up in various positions who are driving standards, taking on their own areas and I’m genuinely impressed with the work ethic, and everything about the place at the moment is great.”
Yet it’s rarely smooth sailing at Munster, and Duffy is speaking shortly after the news of Tom Wood’s lengthy lay-off was confirmed, leaving the province with an out-half shortage heading into Saturday’s URC opener with Glasgow Warriors.
With Jack Crowley a long-term absentee and JJ Hanrahan going through return-to-play protocols, academy out-half Charlie O’Shea appears in line to wear the 10 shirt against the Warriors.
“He’s been brilliant. When he presented last week during the meeting you would say he has 200 caps in the way he spoke. If you’re good enough, you’re getting the opportunities, and he’s been magnificent, as all the lads have been. I can’t fault anyone.
“We haven’t played a competitive game yet, we obviously had our pre-season games, but he’s a really impressive young man and ably assisted by the guys around him like JJ and Jack and Tom. They’re all talking and sharing and then competing, which is a big thing. He’s been impressing me and the other staff, daily. He’s been brilliant.”
Listening to Duffy, you get the sense O’Shea might not be the only up-and-comer to get thrown in the deep end over Munster’s challenging start to the new URC season.
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