The 34-year-old ex-back row man has been responsible for the rise in fortunes of the Scarlets pack in recent seasons and was delighted last weekend to see his forwards successfully defend 14 driving line-outs from the Munster eight at Thomond Park in their famous 30-21 PRO12 victory that kept them in the play-off places.
As the region’s set piece coach, Cunningham has quickly turned the Scarlets’ pack into one of the most potent in the competition. They are currently operating as the second best line-out team in the PRO12 with a 92% success rate, are among the top four scrums in the tournament and they have developed a very solid line-out defence.
“I’m delighted and proud to have the opportunity to continue my coaching development at the Scarlets, working alongside great coaches in Wayne Pivac, Stephen Jones and Byron Hayward,” said Cunningham, a WRU Level 4 qualified coach who is currently studying for a Masters in Coaching at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
“As coaches and players, we have been working diligently behind the scenes over the last few years developing not only a style of play but a culture and an environment that the boys are proud to be a part of. That hard work is coming to fruition and I’m pleased to see players like Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Price, Will Boyde making the step up to becoming regulars in the first team.
“Having international players like Jake Ball, John Barclay, Samson Lee and Rob Evans return to complement the pack is something that we can be very proud of. We’ve developed a set-piece culture that the players themselves take great pride in, something that is evident on the field.
“We’re now in a position where we’re able to compete with some of the best sides in Europe and conceded only two tries from driving line-outs in the European Rugby Champions Cup to forward powerhouses Saracens and Toulon.
“There’s still plenty of work to be done but with such a young and exciting pack I’m looking forward to seeing the development continue as we strive to become one of the best in Europe.”
Capped at Under 16, Under 18 and Under 21 levels, Cunningham played for both Llanelli and the Scarlets. He led Llanelli to aWRU National Cup final against Pontypridd in 2005 and also played for Bridgend, Llandovery, Carmarthen Quins and the Barbarians.
