Former Connacht man Conor McPhillips helped Georgia to their Rugby Europe Championship title.
IRELAND SEALED THEIR Six Nations title last weekend in Dublin and another Irishman tasted international success as Georgia claimed yet another Rugby Europe Championship crown by beating Portugal.
“All the people who have been here longer than us – the staff, the board, the CEO – they all crave that,” says McPhillips.“The powers that be will decide whether it’s relegation or play-off, that’s out of our control, but it’s something Georgia really want. We want to be banging on the door and giving the people who make decisions those reasons to get them in there.”
McPhillips in his playing days with Connacht. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO “Pat was my boss, my mentor, but he’s also a really good friend,” says McPhillips. “I owe a lot to him. He gave me an opportunity to do what I wanted to do in Connacht and then he took me to Bristol.”
“I hadn’t coached international rugby before but it was always something I wanted to do,” says McPhillips. “It’s short bursts and really intense.“Cockers has his strengths where he knows the scrum, the breakdown, the forwards, and he gives you a big picture of what he wants, then lets you crack on. We chat about stuff like kick plan and attack strategy, we’re aligned, then he lets you roll with that, coach it, preview it, review it. I enjoy his company as well.
While the Georgians aren’t backed by the financial might of the biggest rugby unions, McPhillips explains that their facilities in Tbilisi are good.“They are very family-oriented,” he says. “They’re big on respect and they’re really tight. They greet each other with a hug and a kiss every morning, they’re very loving. If kids or family are there, there’s a massive amount of respect there. And that bleeds through into the rugby – they work so hard for each other.
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