James Coughlan facts for kids
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| Date of birth | 9 December 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 109 kg (17.2 st; 240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Christian Brothers College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University College Cork | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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James Coughlan, born on December 9, 1980, is a former Irish rugby union player. He is now a rugby coach. James mainly played as a number 8. He played for clubs like Dolphin, Munster, and Pau. He also played for the Ireland Wolfhounds and the Ireland 7s team.
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James's Early Rugby Days
James started playing rugby when he was 10 years old. He played for a team called Old Christians. He kept playing rugby at Christian Brothers College. He was even chosen for the Irish Schoolboys team.
After school, James went to University College Cork. There, he played for the Irish Universities team. In 2001, he joined Dolphin. He played 85 games for them. He scored 32 tries, which was a club record. In 2008, James also played for the Irish Sevens team. They qualified for the 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup.
Professional Rugby Career
Playing for Munster Rugby
James made his first appearance for Munster in September 2006. This was against Cardiff Blues in the Celtic League. His good playing in his first season earned him a full contract. He played one game for Munster when they won the 2007–08 Heineken Cup.
James was a key player for Munster in November 2008. They played against New Zealand at the new Thomond Park stadium. Munster lost 18–16, but James played very well. He became a regular player for Munster in the 2009–10 season. He even captained Munster in November 2010. They had a big 15–6 win over Australia.
In 2011, James won the Munster Player of the Year award. He beat other great players like Keith Earls and Ronan O'Gara. He played as number 8 when Munster beat Leinster 19–9. This win secured the 2011 Magners League Grand Final title for Munster. James had to miss the rest of the 2011–12 season. He broke a bone in his hand during a game in April 2012.
James signed a new contract with Munster in January 2013. In January 2014, he scored a try against Edinburgh. He also won the player of the match award. This win helped Munster get a home quarter-final in the 2013–14 Heineken Cup. James was nominated for the Munster Rugby Senior Player of the Year 2014 award. He also won the IRUPA Unsung Hero award in May 2014. James left Munster in June 2014 to play rugby in another country.
Playing for Pau in France
James joined the French team Pau in 2014. He signed a two-year contract with them. Pau played in the Pro D2 league at the time.
James announced that he would retire from rugby after the 2016–17 season. This ended his 11-year professional career. He played 139 games for Munster and 69 games for Pau. He also played 1 game for Ireland Wolfhounds.
James's International Games for Ireland
James was called to join the main Ireland squad in 2012. This was for the 2012 Six Nations Championship. He was there to replace an injured player. However, he did not play in any games during that tournament. He also played in a warm-up game against the Barbarians in May 2012.
In January 2013, James was called into Ireland's training squad. This was for the 2013 Six Nations Championship. He captained the Ireland Wolfhounds team in a friendly game. They lost 14–10 to England Saxons. He was added to Ireland's squad for a game against Scotland in February 2013. He was also named in the Ireland squad for the 2013 Autumn tests. Despite these call-ups, James never played a full game for the senior Ireland team.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, James immediately started coaching. He became an academy coach for Pau. During his time there, many young players from the academy signed professional contracts.
After two years with Pau, James joined Aix in 2019. He became their forwards coach. He helped improve the team's defense and scrum (a part of rugby play). His good work caught the eye of a top French club, Brive. He joined Brive in July 2020.
In 2021, James left Brive and joined another French Top 14 club, Toulon. He became their defense coach. In October 2021, he was put in temporary charge of the team. This happened after the head coach left.
