Coaching & Training Staff

Head Coach Dave Laflamme has been playing rugby since 1987 and coaching since 1992 at the high school, collegiate and USA national level. He has been a coach at Brown University since 1997.  The 2021-2022 year will be his 25th year with the program.  He has led many great Brown teams to success in the Ivy League and at national and international levels. Coach Laflamme is very passionate about Brown rugby and excited for what the program is doing both on and off the field saying... “I love being a part of the program here at Brown. There have been three major persons that have been involved in the program since its inception.  These three have coached everyone who has passed through the Van Wickle Gates. I am lucky to be one of those three. It’s exciting times here with Brown rugby. We are growing and building a program to stay consistent with the growth of the game here in America. Great things lie ahead for Brown rugby. We’re certainly a great program to watch these next few years”.

Director Jay Fluck is a Brown University alum who has been playing rugby since 1964 during his time at Brown, and has been coaching since 1976. He became the head coach of Brown University Rugby in 1980 until 2008, when he became the Director of the entire Brown Rugby program. In total, Director Fluck has been coaching rugby for 42 years, and has no intentions of stopping anytime soon. Jay Fluck is the backbone of the team, and still plays an active role in trainings, matches, post game write ups, alumni news updates, and much more. All the players know and love Director Fluck, and they often reach out to him for help with rugby techniques, playbook questions, or general life advice!

Assistant coach Ryan Grant joined the Brown staff in the fall of 2022. Previously he was the head coach for 7 years at the College of the Holy Cross. During his tenure, Holy Cross captured several conference championships, a regional title, and was a mainstay in the national rankings. In addition to coaching at the college level, Ryan also coached high school and senior elite players with the Northeast Academy and New England Independents. During the summer he helps grow the game through youth rugby with the Providence Pirates. A local born to the Providence area, from Fall River, MA, Ryan played rugby at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Middlesex Barbarians men’s club, playing across the field at multiple positions from prop to center. What makes Ryan passionate about coaching is that he firmly believes the unique opportunities that rugby gives players to better themselves and to develop a strong connection with their team and community through their playing experiences, have a transformative impact on the people they become and the life they make for themselves. Simply put, rugby changes lives and to be a part of that journey is the greatest privilege in coaching.

Assistant Coach Oliver Julyan has been coaching at Brown since he moved to the USA in 2010. He grew up playing rugby in the UK and started coaching at university there. He played for the England Schools, London Wasps, and Oxford University primarily as hooker. He’s played with many internationally capped players, and experienced many exciting victories at the collegiate, club, and international level. All this experience is potentially what makes Coach Juylan so knowledgeable and keen. He often finds and fixes small deficiencies in the teams line outs, scrums, and mauls that most other coaches would never even pick up on. His knowledge of the game, great instructing ability, and high energy, have made him a vital part of the Brown Rugby coaching staff.

Eddie O'Sullivan comes to us from Ireland joining the Brown Rugby coaching staff in a permanent position in the fall of 2023. Eddie has been an Irish rugby union coach, player (wing & fly-half) and a former Gaelic footballer. He is a former head coach of the United States national rugby union team and of the Ireland national rugby union team.  He was head coach of Biarritz Olympique, who play in the second tier of France, until October 2015.

Kelly graduated from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH in 2005. She has a Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training and a Minor in Health. While at Plymouth State, Kelly did rotations covering practices and games for the Softball team, Men's basketball team, Women's Lacrosse team, and Football team. Kelly also has experience working at Sports International Football Camps and the Dave Cowen's Basketball Camp as a student athletic trainer.

​Kelly joined the Foundry Orthopedics & Sports Medicine team in August of 2005. She became a member of the Sports Medicine Clinic support staff and an outreach Athletic Trainer. Kelly works continuously with the Brown University Men's Rugby Football Club along with various local high schools and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League.  ​As part of the Foundry team, Kelly has worked with Johnson and Wales University Athletics, Rhode Island College Athletics, and the Brown University Men's and Women's Track and Field Programs.

Amanda graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2004, with a major in Athletic Training and a Minor in Biology. While at Quinnipiac, Amanda worked with a number of different sports teams which included Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Tennis, and Men's Baseball.After graduation Amanda continued her studies at the Community College of Rhode Island with a degree in Massage Therapy. Her training in Massage Therapy includes Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Sports Massage and Shiatsu Massage. Amanda is a member of the National Athletic Trainer's Association since 2009, and the American Massage Therapy Association since 2009.Amanda is the head athletic trainer at East Providence High School, where she helps with preventing, assessing, and rehabilitating sports related injuries. Amanda has implemented a concussion screen to identify, educate, treat, and safely return athletes back to play. Amanda works closely with the Brown University Men's Rugby Club during the spring season.Amanda has volunteered and participated in several MS150 bike rides for multiple sclerosis. She has helped to raise funds for research and support for those affected by MS, including her aunt who was diagnosed several years ago.