In the wake of Gareth Farrelly’s revelations regarding a ‘bullying culture’ under Kevin MacDonald at Aston Villa, former Munster and Irish international Alan Quinlan considered the prevalence of such behaviour in professional rugby.
Left disturbed by Gareth Farrelly’s revelations regarding Kevin MacDonald’s behaviour at Aston Villa, Alan Quinlan admits that he has never personally witnessed such actions taking place in a rugby environment.
Yet, by virtue of “some stories” he’s heard around different provinces across the country, Quinlan appreciates that certain players have undoubtedly struggled under the management styles of different head coaches.
“It’s probably the same across the workforce,” Quinlan stated on OTB AM this morning.
“There’s always a boss or manager who is probably giving someone a hard time, and obviously it’s an issue, a shocking one for Gareth Farrelly.”
Beyond the everyday conflict one would expect of a professional sporting environment, Quinlan paid particular attention to the seismic changes that took place at Leinster when Michael Cheika arrived as head coach in 2005.
“I’ve to be very careful of how I saw this,” Quinlan stated, “but I know Michael Cheika, when he came into Leinster, had to try to change the culture.”
Picking up a term that former Leinster man Neil Francis has spoken about the origins of previously, Quinlan discussed Cheika’s intention to change the ‘ladyboy’ culture that had proved problematic for the province.
“How do you change that culture,” Quinlan asked.
“You try to bring in hard-nosed people; you try to increase the work-rate, [and] you try to make them more resilient and strong. Some guys struggled with that intensity that he brought.
“Some guys who left that environment who had been frozen out a little bit and you know we’ve heard Andy Dunne talk about not really having any relationship with Michael Cheika.”
Careful to stress that he did not equate Cheika’s style with MacDonald’s behaviour whatsoever, it nevertheless proved to be an insightful look into the mechanics of different techniques, required for different circumstances.
By Arthur O'Dea
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