Claasen Returns As Buccaneers Men’s Head Coach

Darin Claasen will lead the newly-announced Buccaneers senior Men’s coaching team, just a few months on from steering the Athlone club’s Under-20 squad to their first ever JP Fanagan Division 2 title in Leinster.

Buccaneers are determined to bounce back from a difficult and challenging season which saw them relegated from Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2A. Claasen has been tasked with steadying the Pirates’ ship.

The South African was previously involved with Buccs seniors during a successful period, as assistant coach under Brett Wilkinson, when they were promoted to Division 1A in 2017. He was head coach the following season, which begain with them retaining the Connacht Senior League.

For the 2025/26 campaign, Claasen will be assisted at Dubarry Park by Garreth Halligan and Conor Kenny, with Tommy Conlon also stepping up from the U-20 section as team manager. Claasen is pictured below in the middle, flanked by Halligan and Conlon.

An IRFU Stage 4 qualified rugby coach, the new Buccs boss has over a decade of coaching experience across club, schools, and provincial level, including a long spell in charge of Tullamore in the All-Ireland League.

As a talented and versatile back, he played All-Ireland League rugby with Galway Corinthians and Buccs, and made the Ireland Club XV squad in 2009.

Claasen has been heavily involved in the Connacht Rugby development pathway, working with the Connacht U-18 Men’s squad as head coach last year. He has also coached Provincial Talent squads, the Connacht Junior Men, and the East Connacht U-17 Regional Development squad.

His coaching style is rooted in player development, mindset, and building a strong team culture, and his influence on the Athlone side’s playing style will be key to their development and achievements.

Meanwhile, Halligan enjoyed many successful seasons as hooker with Buccaneers whom he joined from Skerries via Athlone IT (now the Technological University of the Shannon).

He captained the Pirates for two seasons, and also won the club’s Senior Player of the Year accolade during a period when they won a handful of Connacht Senior League and Cup titles.

‘Hally’ played with Wellington in New Zealand, and Helderberg in South Africa, as well as gaining experience with both the Connacht senior and Eagles squads. He has held coaching roles with various Buccs teams at youths level.

Completing the coaching ticket, the 28-year-old Kenny is a former tighthead prop who progressed from Buccaneers to Connacht, with whom he played 11 times, and then Newcastle Falcons.

The Ferbane native, an Ireland Under-20 international in 2016, will add youthful exhuberance and high level experience to the coaching group.

Team manager Conlon has had a passionate and generous involvement since the 1980s with the midlanders whom he captained in 1987 to Connacht Senior League success. They retained the trophy following season, and also won the 1991 Senior Cup final.

He proudly has the unique distinction of scoring the first ever try by any player in the then new All-Ireland League in 1990, and went on to serve as Buccaneers Chairman of Football. He was elected as club President in 2002, and honoured as the Club Person of the Year for 2017/18.

Conlon renews the managerial post he had when Claasen was previously involved with the senior team. The Moate man can be counted on to leave no stone unturned in his quest to get the best out of this young squad.

Buccaneers begin the new Energia All-Ireland League season with two mouth-watering Connacht derbies, hosting Galwegians on Saturday, September 27, before making the trip to Sligo the following week.