Alan Kingsley

Originally published: Town Tattler Vol 1 Issue 3

Alan Kingsley was a hurler of great promise with Portlaoise. A former Laois minor hurler of the year and a member of the last team to win the senior championship in 2004. Hurling’s loss was rugby’s gain. We spoke to Alan, who has recently been appointed kicking consultant with Cardiff Blues and also works with the Dragons and Biarritz.

What are your memories of sport as a kid?

Earliest memories would be getting dropped out to Togher on a Saturday morning to play rugby and then up to the street leagues on a Sunday morning in the GAA centre. The minibus trips to and from Togher from the top square along with the away blitzes around the midlands always come to mind.

From the GAA side, we were lucky enough to play in many county finals right through the age grades, the old dressing rooms in O Moore Park and running out the tunnel was always a special occasion and something that sticks in my mind. On TV watching the 5 nations with Fred Cogley on commentary and Italia 90 were the big early stand out memories.

Who were your early GAA heroes?

Cumann na mBunscoil used to hand out posters in the schools of the top footballers and hurlers around that time. Pauric Lodge, now an RTE commentator, grew up right next door and he’d sit on the wall commentating while I’d try copy scores and skills of the players on the posters.

DJ Carey, Nicky English, Mickey Linden and Jason Sherlock were among the favourites and mentioned most. The Laois minors of 95 and following years were also players I looked up to. While not that much older, they certainly inspired my age group a lot.

In the club, the likes of John Taylor, the Rigneys who played both rugby and hurling, Zoom and my neighbour Tom Conroy really stood out as people I looked up to.

When did rugby start to become your chosen path?

I was lucky enough that the seasons didn’t cross over too much back then and I could fully commit to both for 99% of the time. The first real big decisions I remember having to make was to play a minor football final against St John Boscos or an inter-pro game against Ulster. I chose the rugby but it was a close call.

What's the main difference for you?

The biggest and most clear difference is the pace of the game. From hurling that moves 100mph to rugby that can be stop start. The ability to move fast for 60 mins and execute at top speed compared to the ability to take collisions and rely more on power and strength are the noticeable differences from a fitness point.

From a skills perspective both required the skills of decision making, spacial awareness, execution etc but hurling and the finesse of the touch and speed of the game for me is a step above anything in rugby.

Favourite memories of Portlaoise GAA?

There’s a lot of great memories right from U10 to senior but I think winning the minor hurling final against Castletown in 2001 is up there with the best. It was a fairly tight group at the time and an enjoyable year on and off the field. Working in the club house bar with Walla Brown as boss man are real good memories too.

Do you stay in touch?

Probably not as much as I should but the beauty of meeting old team and club mates when back in town is we always have something in common to chat about over a few pints. I’d be in regular contact with a few still, but definitely room for improvement too.

What are your highlights of rugby?

I was lucky enough to play on some great teams and win some big competitions along with playing some representative stuff but I think winning the Towns Cup with Portlaoise is my favourite highlight.

Some close friends, cousins and my brother were all on the team and it was a special day. The club always made a massive effort in that competition and hadn’t won it in a while, which probably made it all the sweeter too.

How did you evolve into a rugby coach?

I fell into it really. I was in Australia and got asked to help with The Western Force academy as kicking and skills coach. I did that part time for a year before coming back to Ireland and coaching Navan RFC for five years.

I got involved with St Mary’s CSSP and did three Senior Cup cycles with them while also getting involved with some academy and U19/20 teams with Leinster. From there I got the opportunity to move to Wales and take a role with the Dragons thanks to Bernard Jackman.

This year with Covid, I’ve moved to more of a consultancy role and work with some teams here in Wales and over in France.

What are your career highlights so far?

The visible highlight would probably be a big win over Scarlets on Judgement Day in the 2019/20 season, but most of the highlights are the small victories away from the public eye. Helping players through bad patches and seeing improvements in individuals is rewarding, along with installing a game plan and it being executed despite a loss can also be a highlight for coaches.

What are your ambitions for your career?

I don’t really know, to be honest. I’m enjoying being involved in pro rugby at the moment and will see where it takes me. To get back and coach in Ireland would be nice at some stage, but at the moment I’m happy to be learning and getting coaching experiences away from home.

Are you settled overseas?

Yeah, happy at the moment and really enjoying life in Wales. All the family are happy here and we’ve met some really nice people through rugby circles and also through St Pauls GAA club here in Cardiff.

While we’re overseas I think we as a family would be open to move around a little more, but definitely a return to Ireland and hopefully Portlaoise at some stage. If we moved home, I think it would be very hard to leave again so I think we’ll stay on the road while we have the opportunities.

Portlaoise is home and, as the saying goes, there’s no place like it. No matter what corner of Europe rugby has brought me, sometimes the first thing after matches would be to check GAA or rugby results from Portlaoise. It means a lot to me and I look forward to moving back there at some stage.

Advice for young players

Nothing new here but you have to enjoy it and nothing beats hard work and diligence. Be willing to adapt and a team first mentality is a great characteristic. Also to play as many sports as possible while younger as skillset from different sports can be transferable.

How has Covid 19 impacted your life?

It’s a totally different lifestyle under Covid as it is for everyone and we consider ourselves lucky to be able to get on with playing and training. All the normal chat of bubbles, tests etc are daily and wearing thin.

It’s very different playing in empty stadiums and the supporters can’t come back quickly enough to create that buzz and help the off-field stuff too. In the UK here, there’s a plan and suggested dates to start returning to normal life, so if we keep to the rules for a few more weeks, hopefully we can finally beat Covid-19.

Describe your typical day

Working in rugby means long days and very little time off. A normal day would see staff and players arrive at 7.15am. Coaches would be having 1:1 meetings with players, preparing sessions and presentations to be delivered during the day or week.

There would normally be two pitch sessions a day on Monday/Tuesday for about 40 minutes each, so out of a nine or ten-hour day only 1 hour 20 minutes is actually spent on grass.

While the match at the weekend may be the focus for players, the coaches work a week ahead. When it gets to the following Monday, all the prep is ready for the players to roll into another week.

Depending on the match day, a normal week is Monday/Tuesday off, Wednesday back in, Thursday/Friday and match Saturday. Sunday would be at home but very much a working day to have reviews ready to go Monday morning.

Who's your favourite rugby player?

That’s a hard one. I can’t narrow it down to one. In the modern game there are some hugely talented players creating their own legacies and known worldwide, along with some of the greats of the game.

George Gregan, Carlos Spencer and Christian Cullen are a few of many who come to mind. At the moment you can’t but admire what Antoine DuPont is doing for France and Toulouse.

Who are your biggest influences?

I suppose the underage coaches in Togher and the GAA club who instilled a love for sport and made it fun to keep going back.

Again, I’ve been lucky enough to work under some top class coaches but the credit must go to the people who started the journey along with my parents, who encouraged sports but were never pushy.