The offer of a spot on Richard Kelly’s coaching team for Scarlets A’s Celtic Cup campaign – which starts away to Ulster at the end of the month – was too good for the Swansea man to turn down.
“I’ve been looking forward to working with Rich and just getting back into the 15s mindset,” says Pugh, who as well as winning the World Cup Sevens as a player, enjoyed an illustrious career at Ospreys and Scarlets. “It’s a good opportunity that’s come my way and I’ve been keen to get in and see what they’re doing.
“Rugby is rugby at the end of the day, but it’s good to challenge myself differently and think differently about the game. It’s like touching base and keeping myself refreshed. It’s got quite a few benefits for me and the players in the sevens programme.”
Those benefits of his secondment are twofold: not only does Pugh get to hone his coaching skills in the 15-man game, but he’ll get to observe his sevens charges in the same environment.
He explains: “We’ve got players coming into the sevens programme that are heavily involved in the Celtic Cup, so I get a feel for what they’re doing, whether it’s those playing at Scarlets or for the opposition. That includes players who could be involved with us come October when we really start gearing up for the World Series.”
Indeed, while Wales Sevens captain Luke Treharne will be keeping company with his coach in Llanelli, a number of other core players are spread across the regions: George Gasson and Cameron Lewis with Ospreys; Dafydd Smith and Cai Devine with Cardiff Blues; and Owen Jenkins and Ben Roach with Dragons.
“The fact that our core sevens boys are in Celtic Cup action and training with the regions is one thing, but it also gives them the experience of being in a new environments and with new players,” he says. “It’s a challenge for them mentally and physically, which sits well in their calendar because otherwise it would be a 19-week pre season before Dubai in December.”
​While this may be Pugh’s first taste of coaching 15s in a long while, he recently had the opportunity to relive his days as a free-running openside when he turned out for the Paul ‘Assey’ James Select XV against a Classic Lions side at the Gnoll.
“There wasn’t much holding back in the game,” he reflects on what was a star-studded affair. “It was a great occasion, running out in front of a full Gnoll with guys like Jonathan Thomas who I played with years ago. It was a fitting turnout for Assey’s testimonial, seeing the whole of Neath and people from much further afield coming out to watch.”
