Head coach Pete Wilkins has confirmed he is stepping down from Connacht Rugby after eight years.
The former head coach has released a statement saying it was “with a heavy heart” he was announcing his departure from “the club and province that I have been so proud to call home for the last eight years”.
“During this season, I have been having some very open and honest discussions about my future at the club. Although incredibly privileged to have been given the responsibility of leading the rugby programme here, the longer I have spent in the role, the further away I have found myself from the aspects of coaching not only that I most enjoy, but also that allow me to contribute most effectively to the team.
“As such, I have made the decision that it is best for the club, myself, and most importantly my family, that I step away with immediate effect.
“In doing so, the club and I agree it gives our players, staff and supporters clarity for the remainder of the season, and myself the opportunity to focus on returning to full health before my next coaching challenge.”
Wilkins says he was grateful to the players who “ have worked so hard and been so eager to learn during this time”, as well as the pro team staff who have given him such “great support and friendship”.
“To the wider staff of Connacht Rugby, the authenticity, pride, commitment and sense of humour that you bring to your work every day has always been an inspiration to me.”
And to the Connacht supporters, he says it has been “the most incredible privilege to have had this opportunity to be part of the Connacht Rugby family.”
“This is a very special club, in an incredibly special part of the world.”
He says Galway has become his family's home, and his family, Sarah, Harry, Oscar have been “blessed with the friendships and care that the wonderful people of Barna and the wider province have offered us”.
“Connacht Abú.”
Wilkins held a variety of roles across his eight seasons at Connacht. He was defence coach for four seasons after his arrival in 2017, and in the 2021/22 campaign he moved to the role of senior coach with responsibility for attack. Then he became head coach under Andy Friend, helping guide the club to the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship. He was appointed head coach in 2023.
Cullie Tucker will remain as interim head coach for the rest of the campaign, and the club will now begin the process of recruiting a new head coach for the 2025/26 season.
