And he's already left his imprint on his new charges, tasking them with buying their own ball and not letting it out of their sight.
"I am delighted, they have all come back in good nick. They met their targets and have looked after themselves in the off season," he told the Galway Advertiser.
"Right now the focus in on S&C (strength and conditioning), but we are also doing a lot of work on our techniques and skills around our catch, pass and other areas.
"Everyone has their own ball, at the end of the day it's all about the ball. We'll see a massive improvement as we go through, with guys working to get better. That's all you can ask as a coach.
"Players down there (in New Zealand), when they are young they all have a ball. I think the key is that we spend more time with the ball in hand and being able to do things with the ball. The more comfortable we are with the ball the better."
Guinness PRO12 Connacht News
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