There's been an Irish coaching takeover of French club rugby over the past few years. Of course you have the great work that Ronan O'Gara and Donnacha Ryan are doing at La Rochelle as well as Noel McNamara getting Bordeaux to be one of the best attacking sides in Europe this season.
It's great to see some of Ireland's greatest rugby minds broaden their horizon and test their skills away from home. There's a wealth of Irish coaches across Europe at the moment and we could be set to see another name join the ranks.
Report: James Coughlan Tipped To Take Top Job At French Giant
A report by Pablo Ordas and Mathieu Vich from Rugbyrama over in France is saying that former Munster back rower James Coughlan could take over as Director of Rugby at Biarritz, one of France's biggest clubs.
Corkman Coughlan made 139 appearances for Munster from 2006 to 2014 before moving to Pau in the twilight of his career. He would finish off his career with three stellar years at the Top 14 side before turning his hand to coaching with the academy team at Pau in 2017.
Since then he's gone from strength to strength as a coach with Aix and Brive before taking the role of defence coach at Toulon in 2021. He was part of the coaching ticket that won the Challenge Cup in Dublin last year before departing the side.
He's now tipped to take over as Director of Rugby at Biarritz, who are probably most famous for their spell of dominance from 2005-2010 which included two Heineken Cup final losses in 2006 to Munster and in 2010 to Toulouse.
They are one of the biggest clubs in French rugby and used to boast players like Dimitri Yachvil, Imanol Harinordoquy and Takudzwa Ngwenya but now find themselves in the French second division, Pro D2. They are currently fighting for survival in the second tier, just one spot above the relegation/promotion playoff position with two games to go.
If Coughlan is to take the job he would have a lot on his hands but with his track record in France he could be the man to take them back to the stage where they belong.
READ ALSO: "I F***ed it" - Joe Marler Apologises For Costly Penalty In Harlequins' Loss To Toulouse
