SINCE BRINGING A long and varied playing career to an end in 2021 after a brief stint at Glasgow Warriors, former Ireland senior international out-half Ian Keatley has gradually been working his way up the coaching ladder.

In addition to serving as head coach of UL Bohemian for their 2022/23 campaign in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League, Keatley – who made 288 appearances across five separate clubs in Ireland, England, Italy and Scotland – has also helped out with Munster age grade sides and the Glenstal Abbey school in Limerick over recent years.

Last summer then saw Keatley taking up a role as a provincial talent coach in Munster (for whom he contributed an impressive tally of 1,247 points as a player from 2011 to 2019), before he was also drafted into the Ireland U20s set-up as backs coach ahead of this year’s U20 Six Nations Championship.

The former Belvedere College student had always planned to make the transition into coaching and having built up a significant amount of experience in the wake of his retirement as a player, he felt he was in a good place to take on his current role in the underage international system.

“That was my plan over the last few years, to just try and get as much experience [as possible]; working with different players, different varieties of standards, different mentalities. It’s actually quite a complex scenario when you go back as a coach because as I said there, you’ve got different ambitions from different players,” Keatley acknowledged.

“That’s why it is so good working with these lads at U20s because they have one ambition, which is obviously to win. To be successful, to go on and have future rugby careers. First of all, they’re all really talented, but they’re all very curious. All very willing to learn lads and they’re working very hard at the moment.

“I always thought I wanted to be a good coach. Even as a player or even as a number 10, you’re kind of a coach on the pitch anyway. I always thought I had a good way about myself. I was always trying to help other players. Firstly to get them better, but probably to make me look better as well! I always found it interesting.”

While the current crop of Ireland U20s – who will battle it out with Italy in Cork this evening in the second round of the Six Nations – are looking to replicate the Grand Slam heroics of the past two seasons, Keatley was part of an Irish squad that broke new ground at this level all of 17 years ago.

Featuring alongside future senior stars such as Felix Jones, Darren Cave, Keith Earls and Cian Healy, Keatley contributed 54 points as Ireland completed a clean sweep of Championship honours in the 2007 U20 Six Nations.

“I said it to one of the players the other day, Hugo McLaughlin. I said, ‘Ah yeah, sure I won an U20s Grand Slam’, and he goes, ‘Yeah, but back in the stone age!’. I think he still thinks it was four points for a try and two points for a kick back then!”

Although Keatley and the above mentioned quartet went on to establish themselves in the provincial and international arenas, not every player who features at this grade goes on to enjoy a sustained career in professional rugby.

Yet Keatley believes that the present generation of Irish prospects have everything at their disposal to get a sense of what it might be like at the elite senior level of the game.

“It’s an incredible set-up here. These guys have a full-time nutritionist, who is one of the best in the business. Full-time analysis, kit man, masseuse, doctor. They’re fully well-equipped to give them the best possible environment, but also the best possible chance to succeed. I think they’re really enjoying being in this group, being in this environment,” Keatley added.

“It’s a little taster for what a professional environment would look like. I just think it’s a really good place for them to learn and just get a taste of what it could be to hopefully go on and be successful. Whether that’s winning trophies or just being successful in their own career, whatever that might be.”

Daire Walsh