The car park at Lakelands was full when I called to meet Kevin Putt, former scrum half, now returned as coach to Terenure College R.F.C. semi finalists in the A.I.L. last season.

It's always a good sign to see a club buzzing with activity on training nights and I could see a lot of bodies whirling about under the training lights on the J.1 pitch. Nobody is allowed to train where the Senior side will play their A.I.B. Championship games. Putt materialised out of the gloom, tracksuited and at 35 as fit and hard as he had been when as a 25 year old scrum half from Cambridge in the North Island of New Zealand I first saw firing out astonishingly long passes on the same ground in September 1990.

And he's just as ambitious both on a personal and club level as he was ten years ago. Perhaps that's one of the reasons Terenure already have the Heineken Leinster Senior Cup in the trophy cabinet and are hungrier for success than ever. "I'm a goalsetter" Putt readily admitted "and in five years I want to be coaching one the big teams in the Southern hemisphere, a provincial side in South Africa, New Zealand or Australia in rugby terms they are the tops."

"However" he added with a smile "if Ireland became one of the World powers I might change my mind." But for the moment Warren Gatland - the man who encouraged Putt to come to Ireland in the first place - can feel secure in his job as Ireland team coach. But whatever the future holds for Putt, he has certainly build an impressive C.V. since he left Otaga University with a P.E. degree in commerce and physical education and returned to his native Waikato having already played for Otaga, now known as the Highlanders.

He captained the winning New Zealand side in the Hong Kong Sevens in l989, a side which included John Gallagher and Zinzan Brooke. And although he played in a number of All Blacks trials, Putt was kept out of the side by the brilliant Graeme Bachop.

Bachop wore the number 9 shirt when New Zealand played Ireland at Lansdowne Road in 1989 and there, listed amongst the replacements is hooker Warren Gatland from Waikato. Gatland went as player coach to Galwegians and encouraged his dapper scrum half to try his luck in Ireland which he did and while he did not lead Terenure to glory - they lost the Leinster Cup to Lansdowne and failed narrowly to get into the A.I.L. first division - he won the heart and hand of local lass Louise Connolly.

So the Putts set up home in South Africa where he played 138 games for Natal (The Sharks) and was on the bench for South Africa eight times. But when daughter Shauna was diagnosed with a metabolic disorder it prompted him to move to London Irish in 1998, a move which of course brought him closer to the Great Ormonde Street Hospital and its expertise in treating children. And from there is was an almost natural progression to come back to Dublin and a much changed Terenure.

"I was very, very pleased with what I found "he told me" the amateur ethos I had left had been replaced by a magnificent commitment and a totally different attitude both to training and playing." "I know I have made a few appearances for the club and three for Leinster, but I have retired and will confine myself to coaching and sitting on the bench. But I have no intention of competing for a place with the Derek Hegarty, Michael Mahony and Gordon Ross."

Brian Hogan, younger brother of former Ireland skipper Niall, would also have been on that list but he wrecked the tendons at the back of his knee and has said he won't play again, a great pity for the young doctor and the game. The change in attitude which Putt saw when he returned to Lakelands Park included the now accepted practice of warming down after training and games, food for the players and a greater appreciation of diet and its importance in the general well being of his squad.

"I'm still cutting my teeth as a coach " he insisted" and I hope that my two season contract will be mutually beneficial and that I can inspire a style of rugby which will be entertaining and effective." Rory Sheriff, club captain for the second season in succession has already lifted one trophy and has been most impressive with the new team boss.

"He's had a very positive influence, he's much more hands on than Gerry Murphy was, quick to let you know if you get it wrong but just as quick to be encouraging if you get it right " said Rory. "And as a team we are much more experienced and street wise than we were last season when we did so much better than most people had anticipated, so the mood in the club is one of quiet confidence" he added.

So will we see a much different style of rugby from Putt from that produced by the genial and highly successful Murphy? "I see my job as one of offering options, I can coach the squad but once they are out on the field they must feel confident enough to make their own decisions" said Putt. 'I suppose my ambition is to produce expansive rugby within common sense boundaries, to study the opposition and where possible exploit their weaknesses" he added.

To what extent Putt succeeds remains to be seen but he will certainly demand very high levels of fitness and dedication to the job in hand. He makes no secret of his ambition and a successful Terenure would go down very nicely on his C.V. when and if he moves on.

Putt has two business ventures back in South Africa but he's been steeped in rugby since he made his debut in a very small number nine jersey when he was four and all going well he will remain a rugby coach whether it's in Ireland, South Africa, Australia or his native New Zealand.

Many Irish clubs have had foreign coaches but Kevin Putt has the advantage of knowing the territory intimately and being married to Shay Connolly's daughter (Shay is a former player with and President of the club) binds him even closer to the purple, black and white.

But in Putt's case, familiarity won't breed contempt. He has returned armed not just with a great deal more experience than he had first time around but also with a very clear picture of what it takes to succeed in the Allied Irish Bank Championship. However having watched him in operation ten years ago, I believe he is a class act with great potential.

Whether or not he reaches that potential and emerges as a great coach in this his second coming, remains to be seen. But one of the 'Nure faithful has already forecast that Putt will end up as Ireland coach but did not specify if he would shunt his former Waikato team mate out of a job!

Soft as putty. Don't you believe it.

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© Tom Keogh 2000

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