Galway Corinthians Confirm Conboy As New Head Coach
Salthill man Ambrose Conboy was part of the Ireland Under-20 Men's coaching team for the U-20 Six Nations Grand Slam success in 2019 ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Former player Ambrose Conboy is returning to Cloonacauneen as the new head coach of the Galway Corinthians Men’s team, after the successful tenure of Michael Harding has come to a close.
A statement from Galway Corinthians RFC said that the club is ‘now embarking on the next stage of its development plan’ and that new head coach Conboy and assistant coach Tommy Ellard will bring ‘elite level coaching expertise and a strong track record in player development’.
Corinthians thanked outgoing coaches Harding and Pat Cunningham following their years of dedicated service. In three seasons under Harding, they twice finished as runners-up in Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B.
Last year the Galway city side impressively came through the promotion play-offs to return to Division 2A for the first time since 2018. They narrowly missed out on a top four finish this season, winning 13 matches but being pipped by Greystones on scoring difference.
The Corinthians Men will be having another crack at promotion come the 2025/26 campaign, with their Women’s squad also boasting strong numbers. They have two male U-20 teams competing at the highest level in Leinster competitions, and a thriving youth and minis programme.
A former player at the club and an accomplished coach at both provincial and national level, Galway native Conboy is a high performance coach with IRFU Level 5 coaching accreditation, and has amassed over two decades of experience.
He has had assistant coach roles with the Ireland Under-19 and Under-20 Men’s teams, and guided the Connacht U-18 and Junior Men’s sides to success. He has also served as an Elite Player Development Officer with both the IRFU and Connacht Rugby.
A school teacher by profession and a former Rugby Master at ‘The Bish’, he broadened his coaching perspective during a stint in New Zealand a number of years ago, gaining insight from Tony Brown and Graham Henry.
Meanwhile, high performance accredited coach Ellard is linking up with Corinthians after 13 years in Dublin where he made a significant impact at Wanderers FC – firstly as a player, and then as an assistant coach and attack coach.
Over an 11-year period with Wanderers, he played a key role in securing two promotions and a number of other accolodaes, working alongside three different head coaches and under the early mentorship of renowned coach Steve Aboud.
A senior quantity surveyor with eight years of All-Ireland League coaching experience, Ellard is currently the Connacht Women’s defence coach and recently contributed to University of Galway Rugby, continuing to sharpen his skills across different facets of the game.
The statement from Corinthians concluded: “These appointments mark an exciting new era for the club. With complementary strengths and a shared vision, Ambrose and Tommy are well placed to lead Corinthians forward and build on the wonderful work that has been done to date.”