THE CLASSIC SCOTT Fardy look remains intact. He sports the bushy beard and shaved head that became so distinctive in his time as a player with the Wallabies and Leinster.
Sitting in a meeting room at Connacht’s Dexcom Stadium, where he now works as the province’s defence coach, Fardy looks like he could still do a decent job out on the pitch if the westerners were stuck for numbers. He’s only 39 and Fardy was never about pure athleticism.
Being 6ft 6ins and 112kg when he was playing was helpful but Fardy’s impact as a back row was more about his technical quality, intelligence, edge, and grit. They’re handy attributes for a defence coach to know about, even if Fardy would point out that doing something yourself and coaching someone else to do it are different.
Fardy finished his playing days with Leinster in 2021 and after a stint coaching in Japan, returned home to Australia. But he and his wife, Penelope, sensed that they’d end up back in Ireland sooner rather than later.
So when the gig came up at Connacht last year, there was no hesitation in going for it. They packed the bags and brought their young family back to Ireland. The boys, August and Walker, are natives of Dublin, with daughter Theodora the only one born outside Ireland.
So they’ve loved settling back in, even if it’s a new part of the country.
“It’s been great,” says Fardy of his first season with Connacht. “You’ve come down and we’ve turned on the weather for you today! It hasn’t been like this for the winter but it’s been great to return to Ireland.
“My wife missed it from when we left, she was saying she wanted to come back so I was lucky enough to get back here. I was very grateful for the opportunity.”
What is it about Ireland that they love so much?
“Well, definitely not the weather! I would say the people. And I think the rugby system within Ireland is very good. I get great feedback from coaches, great support as a coach here, the same as when I was a player here.
“The players are well looked after, the coaches are well looked after, and I think that’s the recipe for the success they’ve had for the last decade really.”
Dublin was home for four great years, with Fardy helping Leinster to a Champions Cup title and four consecutive Pro14 crowns.
Connacht have a different reality. Their only major trophy came in the Pro12 back in 2016. But Fardy likes what they’re building and feels he has learned a lot in just 10 months working under head coach Pete Wilkins.
There’s no doubt it’s different to life with Leinster.
“The place as a whole, it’s a tough place, a rugged place on the west coast,” says Fardy when asked what makes Connacht a unique place. “It’s different country.
“When you’re on the east, you live in bloody Ballsbridge and it’s totally different country.
“It’s a different experience for me coming to this side, different people, so as a whole it’s a different community on this side of the country. It’s great to experience both – living in Dublin, playing for Leinster and now coming over to see how things are done here, how the community operates.
“There’s an amazing amount of rugby clubs and support here in the west of Ireland that I probably wasn’t as aware of when I was in Dublin.”
Fardy is still in the early days of his coaching career. He was akin to a player/coach in his time with Leinster, having a major influence on the squad and particularly some of the younger players, but being a full-time coach is a completely new ball game.
He started his coaching career with the NEC Green Rockets after finishing his playing days with Leinster, then took on the forwards coach role with the Warringah club in his native Sydney.
So coming in as Connacht defence coach on a two-year deal has been a notable step up in responsibility. Fardy was an excellent defender in his time but it’s a different gig trying to impart knowledge and ideas to others.
“That’s the challenge,” says Fardy. “I’ve been coached by guys who are former players and they’re trying to deliver that to you and it’s such a different thing. Sometimes the best coaches are school teachers because they’re better at delivering the messages as simple as can be.
“As a player, there’s a lot of stuff that goes in your head. As a coach, you’ve got to simplify everything again. You can’t talk to yourself as a player, if that makes sense. You’ve got to talk to someone who’s probably not had the same experience as you as a player, just trying to be as simple as you can be with your messaging.”
As with their overall performances, Connacht’s defence has had some tough days this season but has been strong on other occasions. There has been an improvement since the start of the year.
The URC stats tell us that only Glasgow and Ulster have conceded fewer linebreaks than Connacht this season. The western province have conceded 41 tries, roughly the average in the URC, and 309 points, which is below average.
Fardy sees good stuff and plenty of room for improvement.
“I’m always pleased with the energy of the lads in terms of the willingness to get off the line and make contacts. On a weekly basis, that’s been good throughout the season.
“We can still get off the line harder or still get better contacts but overall I’m pleased. There’s also things I’ve got to learn and get better at at the same time, but it’s been good.”
There’s work to be done but Fardy is clearly up for the job. He loves being back on Irish soil and his family is happy.
He’s a man driven by success and his expectations haven’t dimmed. So it’s no surprise to hear him speaking with enthusiasm about the prospect of Connacht grabbing a place in ‘finals’ rugby. There’s work to do if Connacht are to grab a URC play-off place and it could be helpful to have someone with Fardy’s head for heights in their corner.
