After seven years, it's time for new challenge

Jon Newcombe talks to James Shanahan about his time as Blackheath coach and his move to Bury St Edmunds

- Jon Newcombe

WHEN James Shanahan says his seven-year spell as head coach of Blackheath has been “a hell of a ride”, he isn’t overplaying the fact. The 48-yearold estimates he has spent 24 hours a week in a car commuting back and forth between his home in Norwich and south-east London for twice-weekly training, on top of travelling the length and breadth of England on matchdays.

You’d think given the commitment Shanahan has made to commuting back and forth that Ray Charles’ classic, Hit the Road, Jack would be on permanent loop as his CUPRA Born motor pounds up and down the A11. Instead, he’s a slave to podcasts, “every rugby one going”, and moments of quiet reflection, in between making a multitude of phone calls on the 230-mile round trip.

Shanahan hopes to have delivered on his goal of a top-four finish in National 1 before he makes the journey for one last time in May. But, either way, he’ll be able to look back on a job well done before starting his next project, at National 2 East outfit Bury St Edmunds.

“I think the one game that probably stands out in the seven years I’ve been here is the home game against Coventry in 2018; they were unbeaten and leading Nat 1, and we beat them 61-29. But where we are now is probably what I am most proud about,” he told The Rugby Paper.

“We got relegated the year after Covid. We lost 23 players, we only had a first team, no second team. But then we bounced straight back up, got promoted, and now we have a thriving second team, they’re top of their Raging Bull League; we get close to 50 players at training every Tuesday/Thursday and we put out two social sides. We’ve a lot of boys who have played a lot of rugby for the club – in my time 12 guys have played over 100 games for the club and it shows how boys want to stay and play at Blackheath.