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19
ULSTER
RUGBY
With such a long-standing association with
Ulster and 13 years of being a part of the
squad you would be forgiven for thinking
that becoming team manager would be a
relatively easy transition for Bryn. However,
with the huge changes both on and off the
pitch in recent years, he says it is almost like
walking into a new set-up:
“Things have moved on and changed
dramatically in the four or five years that
I have been away,” he says. “It is a much
more professional environment. It is a very
different experience, but it is one that I am
really enjoying. There was certainly a lot to
get my teeth into in my first week, but it has
been great. I have been left to fulfill as many
roles as possible that fall under my remit and
I have started to make progress in a number
of those.”
One of those roles is the recruitment and
retention of players. A role that requires a
combination of hard nosed negotiation, guile
and diplomacy. It is also a role that comes
with considerable scrutiny from both fans
and the media. However, Bryn is relishing the
challenge of that aspect of the job:
“Obviously there are a number of guys out of
contract this season as there are every year.
It is my responsibility along with the Director
of Rugby and Head Coach to ensure that we
know, with our succession planning who are
the right people for Ulster Rugby and who we
want to retain going forward and based on
that I will be dealing with the individual agents
of those players.
“Having been an agent for the past four and
a half years I have a great insight into roles
like team manager and how they should
operate. It is having that industry and market
knowledge – not just of players but how clubs
operate and how we can get the best from
Ulster Rugby.”
Aside from the retention and recruitment
of players and planning the succession of
players, Bryn feels that his new role can
contribute positively to the squad in a number
of other ways.
He says: “I suppose it can be summed up
as creating a good environment. Creating
good communications channels with players,
coaches and administration staff. We want to
create a coherent structure, something that
the players can buy into and that they are
happy and committed to Ulster Rugby going
forward and to ensure it is an environment
that encourages competitiveness and
success.”
Competitive and successful – two good
adjectives to sum up Bryn’s time with Ulster
as a player. No doubt they will now be
hallmarks of his time as team manager.
It might be a new position but Ulster Rugby’s team manager is a
familar face. Bryn Cunningham played 150 times for the province,
spanning the era from Harry Williams and the European win in 1999,
through to 2010 and Brian McLaughlin as Head Coach.
BRYN CUNNINGHAM:
A FAMILIAR FACE IN
A NEW ROLE