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Sean Dougall: Staying in Contact

One would assume there was a scarcity of beds in La Rochelle during the Rugby World Cup. With matches several days apart, many of the travelling Irish faithful liked to slip away to France’s sailing capital for a spot of sunshine. And why wouldn’t they? There are few safer harbours for Irish folk.

The good people at Corrigan’s and The General Humbert’s will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of a Munster invasion this weekend. A packed house and a lively till make for a fine few days. But step beyond their doors, and the welcome may cool considerably. This is Champions Cup time, after all, and there is important business to attend to.

Ever since Ronan O’Gara’s beloved province was pitched against his adopted home, the media hype has been building. Outwardly, O’Gara might bristle at the attention but he and his coaching staff know well that such things take the heat off his players. 

“Ronan is well used to it,” Sean Dougall advises. “There is so much interest in him that people will always find an angle, whether it’s Munster or not. It comes with the territory.”  

Of course, it’s not as simple as that this time. The Munsterness runs far deeper at La Rochelle where there is a layered connection to the province through Donnacha Ryan, Tralee’s Ultan Dillane and Dougall, who spent several seasons in Limerick and now forms part of O’Gara’s backroom team.

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/James Crombie

“I suppose we might carry a bit of Munster with us subconsciously,” Dougall concedes. “There are probably some similarities if you look hard enough but that’s always going to be the way when you have a Head Coach who spent his entire playing career there.

“But look, La Rochelle is a different club and we’re living in a different context so we’re not in the habit of looking back.”

In recent years the Irish influence has been extended to include the inputs of people like David Sharkey who has worked with the club on a consultancy basis to design themes that help to guide the club’s narrative. It seems everyone there has a story, and the club duly welcomes it.

“Ever since I joined La Rochelle in 2021, it has always been more than a rugby club,” Dougall says. “There has been a tendency in some French clubs to take a more transactional approach whereas I think that we are very good at embracing everyone’s story, we buy into their journey and bring them with us on ours.”

Such a journey continues into the afterlife. Indeed, Dougall informs us that most of the club’s academy staff have had prior connections with the club. It demonstrates how La Rochelle have taken care of their players as people. While Dougall did not progress through the same system, it was that same emphasis on personal relationships that brought his own career to the historic seaport.

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/James Crombie

“No matter where I went throughout my career, I like to think that I didn’t burn any bridges on my way,” Dougall says. “After I left Munster I stayed in touch with a number of the lads, especially people like Donnacha [Ryan] who moved to France around the same time as I signed for Pau.

“This job came about because of a chat I had with him actually,” he adds. “I was coming to the end of a difficult season at Valence Romans in Pro D2, and I happened to mention that I was going to hang up my boots. We talked about a few of the things I was hoping to do, some of the roles I’d applied to and the realities of finishing up.

“It was only later that I learned Donnacha had agreed a coaching deal at La Rochelle because after a few days my phone bleeped with a text from ROG inviting me down for a chat.”

Though Dougall was ready to step away from playing, he had never been one to drift aimlessly. Indeed, education had always formed part of his rugby journey, completing a BA in Leadership & Management (Northumbria University) and Sports Management (Manchester Metropolitan) while playing.

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

However, despite those considerable credentials, Dougall wasn’t sure they’d provide the purpose that would fan the embers upon his retirement. When he landed at Munster, he put his dilemma to Marcus Horan and together they identified the MSc in Performance Coaching at Setanta College. He qualified three years ago.

“As a player, I always enjoyed training,” Dougall says. “I loved the physicality and the opportunity to push my body. I took that side of the game very seriously and it’s probably the stuff that drew me to rugby in the first place.

“I always hoped I’d have a long career but that didn’t stop me worrying about the end,” he reveals. “Rugby and physical fitness had been at the centre of my life for as long as I could remember, and I didn’t know if anything would ever fill that void. The course seemed to fit that bill.

“And so despite all the concerns I’d had over the years, I was happy enough to call it a day in the end because I was ready to move on and attack the next chapter.”

When the text from ROG landed, Dougall didn’t hesitate in making his way to La Rochelle. Initially onboarded in the club’s S&C department, he began working with rehabilitating players, placing a focus on the contact area, reducing their injury risk and empowering them to excel in high-intensity situations. He has since been promoted to Contact Skills Coach with the senior squad.  

Mandatory Credit INPHO/Billy Stickland

“ROG was very aware of my S&C background through Setanta, and how much I enjoyed it. That’s what got me in the door,” Dougall acknowledges. “Thankfully, I was also given the opportunity to evolve. I started to bridge the gap between the physical stuff and technical coaching to the extent that now I’m comfortable whether I’m having conversations with the S&C team or fine-tuning players’ skills out on the field.”

As his role has expanded, so too has his profile within the club. Recently, he was the focus of an in-house production, offering a deeper insight into his work and approach.

The clip also serves as a reminder of a unique aspect of his coaching – he does everything in French. For many, the technical jargon of rugby may feel like double Dutch no matter the language, but Dougall has mastered the ability to communicate it fluently and effectively through a learned tongue.

“Funnily enough, I reckon that if I was asked to present in English I’d find it quite challenging,” Dougall, who will soon become a French citizen, says. “I might not be able to articulate at length in the same way, but we have developed a clarity of language in terms of how we play the game at La Rochelle so when I’m speaking to the group I can be very concise.

“We have established a common language around the contact area,” Dougall continues. “One of my roles at the club is to implement a contact pathway. By using our common language, a 16-year-old will use the same language cues as one of the senior players. It’s a great way to instil the habits, techniques and attitudes we’ll look for into the future.”

Dougall’s forward-thinking approach reflects his own continuous evolution. Though his playing career may have reached a natural conclusion, his passion for the game never truly waned – it simply found a new outlet. 

“I was ready, man,” he says with a smile. “You need a bit of a fire in the belly when you’re playing but it had begun to fade. It began to feel a bit relentless.

“That’s why I understand how hard it is for players to take a step back and think beyond the next game. When you’re in it, everything feels too intense. It’s all-consuming. The idea of making time for study or preparing for life after rugby can seem impossible but the support is there if you look for it through the likes of the RPA in England and Rugby Players Ireland.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there’s more to life – you just have to be willing to see it.”