Claasen aiming to build ‘different culture and mindset’ at Buccs
Darin Claasen hails from South Africa where rugby is a huge component of the country's sporting culture. And culture is something the Buccaneers head coach is keen to focus on, as he aims to improve standards and performances at the Athlone club.
Claasen came to Ireland 22 years ago at this stage and the time has flown by since. "In 2004, I got an opportunity to come over. I was meant to only come for eight months to play rugby," he recalled.
"Actually Castlebar brought me over. Jimmy Staunton from Elverys was involved in Castlebar rugby club and one of my good mates was coaching and he just reached out to the club I was playing for in Cape Town and he asked if any young guys want to come over for a season. So I put my hand up and it was only meant to be an eight-month stint.
"In the first two weeks, I did not enjoy it and I was going to go home. I was tired of the rain and the cold," he told the Westmeath Independent.
However, he gradually began to glean enjoyment from his new surroundings. "As someone told me, it (Ireland) is a black hole - once you come, you don't leave," he said with a smile.
"Then I went to Young Munster, spent a season there, really enjoyed that," he continued.
His first involvement with Buccaneers came as assistant coach to Brett Wilkinson, and he also spent five years coaching with Tullamore RFC.
Having guided the Buccaneers U20 team to success in the JP Fanagan Leinster League, Claasen took over the seniors for the 2025-2026 season and is now preparing for his second season at the helm, assisted by Garreth Halligan with Damien Curley as manager.
A native of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa, Darin spent about five years studying and playing rugby in Cape Town after finishing school.
While rugby is certainly the main sport in South Africa, with the Springboks winning the last two World Cups, in Ireland Darin has had to adapt to a more mixed sporting culture where Gaelic games and soccer have a strong presence among other sports.
"Yeah, obviously rugby is number one at home and the Springboks have done so well over the last eight or ten years. Friday is called 'Bok Friday' and people wear a Springbok jersey. When the Springboks win, everyone's happy. When they lose, everyone's sad,” said Darin.
"I was home there a few weeks ago and I went to watch my nephew play a schools match against a rival team, and I think there was about 10,000 spectators at the game. It's just massive.”
Living in Clann na nGael territory, just outside Athlone, Darin says he sees "that same sort of tribalism or loyalty in the GAA".
"Obviously, as a rugby coach, I'm competing with it because a lot of my players are now still playing GAA and you're waiting for them to finish. But they just love their parish. My own girls play and when you go out there every Saturday or Sunday, the number of kids playing is incredible. So rugby in South Africa is like what GAA is over here, I suppose."
Considering the success of the Buccaneers U20 team in recent years and Marist College winning two Connacht Senior Cups, there is plenty of talented players filtering through.
"Listen, it is a very young team but the young guys coming in, there's a lot of talent there," said Claasen. "I suppose a big learning there is maybe decision making, understanding the smaller details of the game, especially when you're playing against more mature teams, bigger teams. We're definitely not going to be the biggest team. We'll probably be one of the lightest, but we've got to play to a game plan that will allow us to get the upper hand when we can.
"Last year, it was all about building a different culture, a different mindset, different standards, being more accountable, which I felt just wasn't there at the start of last season. And that's difficult when you've had a few bad years. So we really worked hard on that, and that's something we'll continue with this year."
This year's All-Ireland League will see a new regional format in place and Buccaneers will compete in Division 2B South.
Claasen reckons this format is "worth a try" and he won't miss the long trips north. "It probably does make it a little bit harder to get out (promoted) and you've really got to finish in the top two," he added.
"Last season we finished mid-table (in Division 2B), but I think three or four of the games we lost in the last few minutes. So we’ve just got to learn from that, keep developing, but we have lost two very good players who have gone back to Australia."
Of course, the duo Claasen is referring to are Sam Meecham (described by Claasen as “player of the season” for Buccs last term) and Dan Donovan.
“It was always a one-year deal for Sam so he will be a loss. But then again, we've got the young guys coming through and, you know, I'm sure they'll step up now."
Asked about the task of recruiting new players in the off-season, Claasen answered quite bluntly that it was “very hard” and “much harder than it would have been ten years ago”.
"We're in the middle of the country, but that probably counts against us because everyone goes to Galway or Dublin," he said, pointing to the importance of "building that culture" so that players don't want to leave.
Claasen admitted that Galway clubs Corinthians and Galwegians, who operate in a higher division than Buccs, can be "very tempting" options for players.
"We need to make sure that we've got an environment here where they don't want to leave, and that's what we're trying to do. We're definitely not in the position anymore to get as many academy players."
As for trying to entice players from other clubs in the midlands, such as Longford or Tullamore, Claasen knows it’s not always straightforward.
“Most guys are very loyal to the club and they've probably got a career going, so they don't want to leave. The game has changed a lot and we need to make sure that we can keep the conveyor belt of youngsters coming through, but then we need to hold on to them.
"We have to hold on to them by building the environment and by getting results. No one wants to stay with a team that's not winning or not competing at the top. So that is a big challenge.
“Second rows especially are very hard to get because everyone's snapping them up. So any guys willing to travel, there's big clubs willing to pay big money all over Europe that will snap them up.”
The need for physically strong operators up front is obvious for a young team like Buccaneers, with Darin stressing the value of “a bit of a dog in the pack” who can “just grind it out” in tough conditions.
"It's nice when the sun's shining and you think you can run around, but we know come November, December, January, when it's cold and the rain is coming sideways, it's a different thing,” he remarked.
Claasen is looking forward to seeing what sort of impact some of the rising Buccaneers stars can make this season.
"There are a lot of good youngsters coming through. Andrew Henson at full-back, he's a great little player. I'm really looking forward to having him involved. He's got a huge amount of talent and a great attitude," said Darin.
"The two young centres Darragh (Glennon) and Oisin (O'Donoghue), they are in the U20s but if they're good enough, they'll definitely be part of the senior set-up. So those are three youngsters that we're really excited about. Paddy Egan, who was with us last year, he's had a brilliant off-season. He's flying fit. You can see he's put a huge amount of effort in. There's a lot of good young players that we feel are only going to get better, but they're still so young though."
Darin was not too concerned about results in the Connacht Senior League, instead viewing it as an opportunity to look at various options and to give players game time ahead of the AIL campaign.
"We've definitely used it more to have a look at players, a lot of young guys coming in, put them into the first team environment. You want to see them playing at that level."
Understandably, Darin is pleased to start the AIL season with a home game as Limerick outfit Bruff visit Athlone tomorrow (Saturday, kick-off 2.30pm).
"I think it's really important to start well. Bruff are a tough Munster team and we have played against them a few times, so it's nice to get them at home in the first game. If you could get a win, it would get the confidence up and then you could try to build on that, but none of the teams are going to be easy and all of the games will be a dogfight," he added.