When Ulster consider their current woes, one wonders if they ever reflect upon the exits of Mark McCall and Jeremy Davidson after just two years as head coach and assistant at the province in 2011, and think what might have been.
McCall has had a stellar coaching career since with Saracens, albeit some of their achievements have been blighted after the club were proven to be in breach of the salary cap. But arguably Davidson’s achievements have been just as great given he is now in his 13th season coaching in France.
For six seasons he helped little Aurillac punch way above their weight in ProD2 and after a year as forwards coach with Bordeaux-Begles, guided Brive to promotion to the Top 14. He was released halfway through the season before last but was snapped up by his former club Castres and kept them up.
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Last season, Castres finished seventh, only being denied a place in the French championship play-offs when Racing secured a losing bonus point with the last play of the game in La Rochelle. Currently seventh, it’s hard to believe that Castres would have made the curiously premature decision to move him on, as is evidently the case, at the end of the current season had it not been for Racing edging them out with the last play of the 26th round.
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[ Disconnected Munster pay the price against Castres in scrappy defeatOpens in new window ]
In light of Castres beating Munster 16-14 on Friday night, Davidson was asked if he’d like the chance to coach in Ireland again.
“I’d love to eventually,” he said, after due consideration. “I think I’ve been bouncing around doing a good job in many clubs that I’ve been to but I haven’t won any competitions.
“When I was at Aurillac we had the 16th budget out of 16 clubs in ProD2 and we got to a final and two semi-finals. That’s kind of what got me up to Bordeaux and then Brive, got them up from the second division to the first.
“I think if I do get a club with a bit more money I’ll be able to add a lot more to them and maybe add a bit more structure than some French coaches would but I think if I want to move home I need to have a bit more credibility and that will come from getting to the quarter-finals, semi-finals or winning something over here.
“I’m not getting any younger either so I need to start doing it quickly,” said the 50-year-old laughing.
“But coaching on your own doorstep is probably the hardest as well because you really want to do well and the moment you don’t start doing well the knives will be out for you. It’s a tough old game, this. I’d prefer to be a journalist,” he quipped.
Davidson was happy after the win over Munster, “because to stay alive in this competition, we needed to win” and attributed the victory to his team’s energy, enthusiasm, spirit and work-rate.
In a relatively low-scoring game of fine margins, critically Davidson had clearly done his homework on Munster. A prime example was the former Connacht number eight Abraham Papalii peeling around the front of a close-range lineout to plough through the tackles of Craig Casey and Thaakir Abrahams on the blindside for the game’s opening score in the 13th minute.
“Yeah, we had targeted that,” admitted Davidson. “We use that move quite often but more generally when they’ve got a scrumhalf there. But we have been disappointed with our maul attack, we didn’t get much go-forward in that area.
Davidson had freely admitted beforehand that Castres had targeted the Munster scrum and afterwards said: “We knew that [David] Kilcoyne coming back from injury and Oli Jager coming back from injury would maybe be missing a bit of time in their legs, so we thought we could target them in that area.”
Castres haven’t qualified for the Champions Cup knock-out stages in their last 14 attempts, but the former Ulster, Ireland and Lions lock wanted his side to generate some confidence before hosting Bordeaux next weekend as well as protecting that proud unbeaten home record.
“I remember when I was here as a player we played Bath at home and we lost in the European Cup and you don’t feel like going out of the house for three or four days. You want to hide because it means so much to everyone.”
Castres conclude their pool campaign at home to the Bulls and away to Saracens in January. “We will target that home game and see what we can do away from home, possibly go a wee bit stronger than what we’ve done in the past with away games in the Champions Cup and see where we are.”
Whereas they haven’t won away this season, Castres are unbeaten at home, a very French anomaly which Davidson can also explain from his time as player and captain with Castres.
“Even when I used to play, when you’re warming up behind the posts it feels like you’re an extra flipping metre taller and maybe 20 kilos heavier. It’s just that small town environment where you represent so much and identity means so much in France.
“It’s the same for every club but here more so than other clubs because we don’t have big stars. [Jack] Goodhue was our big signing for the past two years, apart from that we generate signings from the second division so anyone you bring in you have to bring them up to the level.”
Castres have the 12th biggest budget in the Top 14, but once again Davidson has a team punching above their weight.
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