Pat Lam has revealed that the death of Anthony Foley was instrumental in his decision to leave Connacht.
He's agreed to move to English club Bristol at the end of the season.
The passing of the Munster head coach after a heart attack led Lam to strongly consider the move in the interest of his family.
The financial package on offer will safeguard the future of Lam's wife and five children, a family history of heart issues was also central to his decision:
“I look at my rugby career, because I am responsible for my family, putting food on the table. It’s career, rugby what are the right choices, then my family come into it.”
“Two weeks ago, Bristol put an offer down and it was quite significant. They pretty much said, can you come here and do what you did in Connacht?”
“That completely flipped my decision from rugby to family. The reason why it did is that when I went down to Killaloe to see my good friend Axel.”
“I saw him there and found out what happened and we are so close because we are in the same situation. I am the second Pat Lam on this earth.”
“The first one I was named after was my grandfather, he died at the age of 55 at a heart attack when I was 9.”
“My father, through this whole process, shouldn’t have been here but thanks to technology he went through a quadruple bypass. “
“I have heart issues anyway. But what it did for me was when I left Killaloe with Willie and Tim and all I could think about was if that happened me, what would happen to Steph and the kids.”
