The former Ulster and Ireland lock has coached in France for 16 years, the last seven of which have been as a head coach in the fiercely competitive environment of the Top 14
Jeremy Davidson, Castres head coach: 'I think I realised early on in my coaching career, you can take a horse to water but you can’t make him French.' Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
Having been hired in February 2022, Davidson guided Castres to safety and then to the heights of seventh place last season. The club only missed out on the playoffs when Racing secured a bonus point in the last minute away to La Rochelle on the final day of the regular season. In advance of Castres hosting Munster on Friday night, Davidson himself declined to discuss these rumours, saying: “I just want to concentrate on my job”.
The club won their fifth Bouclier de Brennus seven seasons ago and regularly compete in their domestic playoffs. But last week’s loss in Northampton was their ninth in a row and Castres have made 14 pool exits since their sole knock-out appearance, when losing to Munster in the semi-finals in 2002.“Determination and team spirit are Castres’ identity, and that’s why we have won at home,” says Davidson.
“So, you’ve got to make things better for French people first off, get them on board and then start to develop your culture, how you keep things working, how you want to develop your team on a slightly slower basis than you would in an Anglo-Saxon environment where you’re possibly a wee bit harder on technical things, probably a wee bit more precise on patterns and the way you want to play.
“I can speak with anybody. I listen to French all day long and I think my level of French is better than most people from outside the country who live here, and I suppose determination as well.
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