Connacht seeking new head coach as Wilkins steps down

Connacht Rugby and the IRFU have confirmed that Pete Wilkins has stepped down as head coach with immediate effect.

Wilkins has held a variety of roles across his eight seasons at Connacht. For the 2022/23 campaign he became head coach under director of rugby Andy Friend, and in that season helped guide the club to the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship. In 2023, he was appointed head coach with overall responsibility for Connacht's professional team.

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.

Wilkins has released the following statement: “It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my departure from Connacht Rugby – 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.

"I am very grateful to all of the players that have worked so hard and been so eager to learn during this time, as well as the pro team staff who have given me 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.

"To the Connacht supporters, 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.

"Beyond rugby, Galway has become our family home, and Sarah, Harry, Oscar and I have been blessed with the friendships and care that the wonderful people of Barna and the wider province have offered us.”

Connacht CEO Willie Ruane has paid tribute to Wilkins and his immense contribution in his eight years at the club.

“Today is a sad day for everyone involved in Connacht Rugby. For the last eight years Pete Wilkins has been a colleague and friend to us all, and someone that has always put his heart and soul into trying to make us better and helping us to achieve the type of success that we are all striving for.

"In that time Pete has progressed from his initial role as defence coach to ultimately head coach of Connacht Rugby, and prior to his departure on sick leave, Pete had the second highest league win rate of any Connacht head coach in the professional era, and was the first in 15 years to achieve the number 1 seeding following the pool stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

"Needless to say, whilst we are disappointed to see Pete leave, we fully respect and support his decision and we wish him, his wife Sarah and his two sons Harry and Oscar all the very best for the years ahead”.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys thanked Pete for his hard work over the last eight years and wished him and his family well in the future. "A quality coach and respected figure in Irish rugby, Pete can remember his time in Connacht with pride, and I hope that he will continue to progress his coaching career in the years to come,” said Humphreys.