Nigel Carolan appointed Glasgow Warriors' new Assistant Coach
- 2009
Glasgow Warriors have appointed Nigel Carolan as the club’s new Assistant Coach, focusing on attack as part of Head Coach Danny Wilson’s coaching team for 2021/22 and beyond.
The 46-year-old makes the switch from United Rugby Championship rivals Connacht ahead of the new campaign, having held the role of Attack Coach at The Sportsground since 2017.
Under Carolan, Connacht supporters saw their side flourish in attack, boasting attacking stats only bettered by eventual finalists Leinster and Ulster in the 2020/21 Guinness PRO14; the men in green crossed for 53 tries, with winger Alex Wootton finishing as joint top-try scorer in the competition.
The Galway native also represented Connacht with distinction as a player as a creative and hard-working centre or winger, working under Warren Gatland during the 2021 British and Irish Lions’ Head Coach’s time at The Sportsground back in the late 1990s.
After being forced to retire due to injury in 2000, Carolan made the transition to coaching as Connacht’s Head of Academy in 2004, a role he held until 2017 and his promotion to the position of Attack Coach at the club.
He also dove-tailed his Connacht commitments with the role of Ireland U20 Head Coach from 2014-17, overseeing the development of a host of talents who have gone on to become integral members of the senior Irish international setup.
A Carolan-led Ireland U20 enjoyed an historic World Rugby U20 Championship in 2016, as a squad containing Jacob Stockdale, Hugo Keenan and Andrew Porter defeated New Zealand en route to a first-ever – and to date, only – appearance in an World Rugby U20 Championship Final.
