The Shamrock Rovers manager was invited to spend the day with the Irish rugby team as they prepared for their famous Twickenham win.
Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley(Image: INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
Stephen Bradley was so taken by his recent visit to the Ireland rugby team camp that his wife had to ask him to “shut up” talking about it.
The Shamrock Rovers manager was invited to spend a day watching Andy Farrell prepare his side for their trip to Twickenham to take on England.
And despite approaching 10 years in the Tallaght Stadium hotseat, Bradley said the visit provided him with plenty of lessons to bring into his role with the League of Ireland champions.
Although not everyone in the Bradley household appreciated just how much he got out of the visit to Abbotstown.
“My wife was telling me to shut up that night. I didn’t shut up talking about it,” the Hoops boss quipped.
Emma and Stephen Bradley(Image: INPHO/Nick Elliott)
Ireland pulled off a sensational 42-21 win a few days later in London.
Bradley continued: “I was lucky enough, very grateful that Andy allowed me in on an extremely important week for them; a really busy, heavy day for them in terms of prep for the England game.
“I was allowed to be privy to all of that, the team, the information, the tactics. It was a brilliant learning experience for myself.
“They are brilliant people and they’re so humble. The attention to detail was top class. From players to staff, they were just really, really good. It was a great learning experience.
“I had a feeling when I left that day, I didn’t know they’d win on Saturday obviously, this was a tough game but I just knew they would perform.
“They were just on it, all of them. They were so in sync in everything they were doing, from the meetings to the pitch, every player, every staff member, you knew they were ready for a big performance.
“Watching them on Saturday, it was brilliant to see it come out. It was a brilliant day, a brilliant day learning.”
Contact initially came through Johnny Sexton, who spent some time observing Rovers train under Bradley during his transition into coaching.
Bradley and Farrell then started communicating, and the Tallaght Stadium chief was due to watch the rugby team train ahead of the France game, but had to reschedule.
“Like I said, I’m really grateful that they allowed me into everything, from the team meetings to the tactical stuff, to the small detail on the pitch,” he said. “It was so open, so humbling. It was brilliant.”
Pressed on what he took from the day, Bradley said: “Sometimes it reaffirms what you’re doing is good. Sometimes it shows you what you’re doing is not up to standard.
“Then there’s little tweaks, although obviously it’s a different code, there’s different tweaks in how they do things.
“Sometimes in football you try and be too perfect in every aspect.
“There’s loads of little detail that you learn that is brilliant. It’s not so much tactical, it’s different games, but in terms of how they do it. It was just brilliant learning for me in so many ways.
“For them to allow me to see the detail of what they were going to try and do against England, and then to see it being carried out was brilliant.
“I was just very grateful that they allowed me and trusted me in there to see everything. There was nothing off limits and I was very thankful for that.”
Bradley spent the day taking notes – and that weekend watching the match he ticked off all he saw at training as it came to pass on the pitch.
“The day you turn down a visit to go in and be able to learn from someone like Andy Farrell, the other rugby players, and staff, well then you’re finished,” said Bradley.
“On Saturday, I locked myself in the room and had my notebook out just watching them play because I knew what the game plan was.
“I was intrigued to see how it would come off. It was brilliant to see how they carried it out.
“But I knew that… I didn’t know they’d win but I knew that day leaving there was going to be a big performance.
“Sometimes you just get a feel, a smell for it in the environment. Leaving that day, it was there.”
He added that there was plenty of banter during his visit, with “a few boos and ‘come on Bohs’ and ‘come on Derry’, and a few shouts in the gym and a bit of craic.”
Bradley added: “They were brilliant. They really were. No surprise, that environment they’ve created is pretty special. It was a privilege to be in it.”
He has extended an invitation to Farrell to visit Rovers’ Roadstone training base.
Meanwhile, one area that the Ireland rugby team excels in off the pitch could soon be replicated at the Premier Division champions.
“They have a brilliant mentorship programme for all the players outside of rugby, which I thought was really interesting and something we’ve touched on since we signed Ronan [Finn as director of football],” said Bradley.
“But they’re really big on it and I think that’s something that would be great to try and implement here to help the players throughout their life, not just when they’re here.
“I think it’s something we can definitely look at. There has to be a bigger picture here and Ciaran [Medler] will play a big part in that and I’m sure the Tallaght Chamber will play a big part in that as well and connect everything.
“We’ll have to have those meetings but it’s definitely something we’d like to try and implement.
“Whether we can or not, it’s a different environment, a slightly different set-up. I think it would be a really good thing to do for the players.”
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