Recently appointed Scrum Coach Aaron Dundon says he has thoroughly enjoyed the first three weeks of pre-season.
Dundon moved to Ulster from French side FC Grenoble, where he held the roles of Forwards Coach and Interim Joint Head Coach, and had a particular focus on the set piece and breakdown.
How are you settling into life in Belfast?
Yes I’m really enjoying it. Obviously me and my family moved up here and we’ve been made to feel very welcome. The rugby has been really good and it’s a good coaching environment. The players have returned from their break in really good spirit and have been working hard in the first three weeks of pre-season.
What would you say enticed you to move to Ulster?
It would be the conversations I had with Les Kiss and Jono Gibbes. I have known Les for a couple of years when he was obviously the Irish coach and Jono coached me a bit in Leinster, so I have always had a good relationship with those guys. The vision and the way they have planned to play for the season really appealed to me and I wanted to buy into that.
You do have a specific role here within the team, what are your goals going forward?
They already had a very good scrum last year it will be improving on that and making it even better. Also, I’ll be working with a lot of the young guys, bringing them up and making sure we have a bigger group of players to pick from.
You have gained good experience in France. How are you going to translate that here to Ulster?
I learnt a lot from French rugby, especially from the set piece. It’s a tough league with some very strong forward packs, so that challenges you as a coach. I’m really looking forward to bringing the areas from the set piece in France that I think will really work in the PRO12 and work for Ulster.
Have you seen potential during pre-season?
Yes, it’s actually been very promising. The Internationals have been away so it is a good chance for the young lads to get a good bit of training under them and a good chance to impress the new coaches. The players are very driven and that’s all we can ask for as coaches. The mood has been good and I’m really looking forward to the season kicking off.
Has anyone in particular caught your eye?
Yes, I have been working closely with a few of the young props and hookers and they are all standing out, if I’m honest. There is some really good competition there and that is encouraging for the future.
Dundon moved to Ulster from French side FC Grenoble, where he held the roles of Forwards Coach and Interim Joint Head Coach, and had a particular focus on the set piece and breakdown.
How are you settling into life in Belfast?
Yes I’m really enjoying it. Obviously me and my family moved up here and we’ve been made to feel very welcome. The rugby has been really good and it’s a good coaching environment. The players have returned from their break in really good spirit and have been working hard in the first three weeks of pre-season.
What would you say enticed you to move to Ulster?
It would be the conversations I had with Les Kiss and Jono Gibbes. I have known Les for a couple of years when he was obviously the Irish coach and Jono coached me a bit in Leinster, so I have always had a good relationship with those guys. The vision and the way they have planned to play for the season really appealed to me and I wanted to buy into that.
You do have a specific role here within the team, what are your goals going forward?
They already had a very good scrum last year it will be improving on that and making it even better. Also, I’ll be working with a lot of the young guys, bringing them up and making sure we have a bigger group of players to pick from.
You have gained good experience in France. How are you going to translate that here to Ulster?
I learnt a lot from French rugby, especially from the set piece. It’s a tough league with some very strong forward packs, so that challenges you as a coach. I’m really looking forward to bringing the areas from the set piece in France that I think will really work in the PRO12 and work for Ulster.
Have you seen potential during pre-season?
Yes, it’s actually been very promising. The Internationals have been away so it is a good chance for the young lads to get a good bit of training under them and a good chance to impress the new coaches. The players are very driven and that’s all we can ask for as coaches. The mood has been good and I’m really looking forward to the season kicking off.
Has anyone in particular caught your eye?
Yes, I have been working closely with a few of the young props and hookers and they are all standing out, if I’m honest. There is some really good competition there and that is encouraging for the future.