Lam to leave Connacht in the summer

Pat Lam is to leave Connacht Rugby at the end of the current season, the Irish province has announced.

Lam succeeded Eric Elwood as Connacht head coach ahead of the 2013-14 season and under his guidance the province were crowned Guinness PRO12 champions in May 2016, their first ever major trophy.

However, he is to leave the Sportsground at the end of the current campaign in order to become head coach of Aviva Premiership side Bristol.

"This has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in my life as Connacht and Galway is such a special place for myself and my family. The friendships, support and memories we all have experienced throughout our time in the West of Ireland is truly heartfelt and will never be forgotten," Lam said.

"I feel extremely blessed to have been given an opportunity four years ago to build on the excellent work of Eric Elwood. I’m very proud that I can now pass on the baton with the knowledge that Connacht Rugby is truly seen as one of four strong provinces of Irish rugby.

"Rugby should never be about the individual as players and coaches will always come and go. We have worked hard to have the structures and systems in place to ensure the future success of the province for our community. I truly believe that through our strategic plan and the vision of Grassroots to Green Shirts, Connacht Rugby is in an extremely strong place going forward.

"There is a lot of rugby to be played between now and the end of the season and myself, our management team and the players are fully committed to our goals on and off the pitch. We are heading in to Champions Cup rugby this week on the back of so much hard work over the last number of years. We want to continue to inspire our community and we have many more opportunities on and off the field to do that this season."

Connacht CEO Willie Ruane added: "Firstly I’d like to thank Pat for everything he has done for Connacht Rugby. He led the province to a first ever trophy and that will be something that will live long in the memory. While there is a lot of rugby yet to be played this season, we wish Pat, Steph and their family the very best in the next chapter of their lives.

"Connacht Rugby has made a huge amount of progress over the last number of years, with Pat building on the great work of those who went before him and we remain extremely confident and excited about the future.

"As a club, we will immediately engage with our Professional Games Board and the IRFU with respect to starting the process of recruiting our next head coach."

During his playing days, Lam won the 1997-98 Premiership with Newcastle Falcons and the 2000 Heineken Cup as captain of Northampton Saints and he will return to the Aviva Premiership to become the new coach of Bristol.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach and lead Bristol Rugby – a proud club with history, tradition and a bright future ahead. What appeals to me most after speaking to Steve Lansdown and Chris Booy is their passion, vision and long term commitment to inspire fellow Bristolians worldwide through rugby success on and off the field," Lam told the club's official website.

“As with my decision to help Connacht Rugby four years ago, my coaching philosophy is very much aligned to assisting them in making Bristol Rugby a club where the Bristol community can be inspired and Bristol players have a genuine pathway to represent England by the quality of our rugby programme.

“I’m committed to Bristol irrespective as to what happens in the short-term – everything is in place for the club to be a force in the future and I’m honoured to be invited to join the journey.”