When Coaching Goes Wrong

When Bob McKillop, my former coach, agreed to sit down with me, I knew we were about to embark on a discussion that would transcend the boundaries of rugby. Enjoy the show! 0:03 Player Coaching 6:35 Challenges and Success in Coaching 11:06 The Importance of Communication in Leadership 17:41 Effective Coaching Through Collaboration and Communication 23:53 Navigating Coaching Career Authenticity 31:...

This episode is with Stephen Dowse, Director of Rugby at Hong Kong Football Club. He opens up about nurturing talent across all levels, aligning multiple teams under the club's ethos, and cultivating a culture where elite and community players thrive side by side. Authenticity and credibility lie at the heart of our conversation, as we dissect the evolution of coaching styles and the importan...

Ever wondered how a nation forges its way from the ranks of tier-two rugby to the pinnacle of tier-one? That's exactly what we're unpacking with Rama Chand, the Georgian Rugby Union's Director of Rugby Development. Through an enlightening dialogue, we reflect on his international journey and dissect the strategic endeavors propelling Georgian rugby forward. Rama Chand sheds light on...

In this episode, I am joined by Richie Williams, Director of Rugby at Cambridge Rugby Club in England. Richie has coached across Europe and shares great wisdom from the lessons that he has learned.  As we unpack the complexities of leading a club like Cambridge Rugby, Richie imparts the lessons carved from both sweet victories and the sting of defeat. He shares a refreshing perspective on collabor...

Discover the transformative journey of Chris Brown, a coach whose expertise has spanned continents. In a revealing look behind the scenes, Chris recounts his path from a strength and conditioning coach to taking the helm of the USA Women's Sevens team. His stories are a trove of lessons on leadership and wisdom gleaned from international locker rooms. Whether you're a sports enthusiast o...

Unlock the secrets to transformative coaching with Riki Tahere, who charts a course from the culinary arts to spearheading rugby talent growth at Canterbury Rugby Union. Our discussion reveals the surprising parallels between a chef's precision and a rugby coach’s strategic acumen. We share a feast of ideas, from the importance of creating a memorable player experience to the evolution of coa...

Chris is a highly experienced coach and has done it all from grassroots through to coaching the Fijian National 7s team. His latest role is coaching is with the Poland national team in their quest to climb the world rankings. I’ve had the great pleasure of working alongside Chris at the Hong Kong Rugby Union. He was always great company and I valued being able to reconnect with him and share some...

Riaan Van Straten was a great guest for the first-ever When Coaching Goes Wrong podcast. Riaan discusses how failure has helped shape his coaching and the tools that he uses to turn failures into a positive.  Riaan played professionally and has been working in coaching and rugby development for the past 21 years. His philosophy is to not only create great rugby players but also to create successfu...

Luke is a Welsh coach who is now living in America and has a wealth of experience in both rugby and S&C coaching. Luke began his rugby coaching career after gaining his BSc in Exercise Science and eventually coached for the WRU.  Following this, he changed his focus and moved to America to achieve a master's degree in Strength and conditioning, where he has since coached elite level athle...

This is a must-listen for those that want to play collegiate rugby in the United States!  Andrew Kean, the Chief Executive of FirstPoint USA, has firsthand experience of collegiate sports in the United States as we played soccer at the University of Cincinnati on scholarship. Now he is helping others do the same! FirstPoint specializes in helping young people achieve their academic and sporting po...

It is a pleasure to share wisdom from one of North America's standout characters, Dallen Stanford. He represented USA 7s and is now a leading figure in the commentary world covering international XV, World 7s Series and Major League Rugby.  Commentating on a match is much more than it seems, so join me in diving behind the scenes to learn on what happens to ensure the viewer receives a fantas...

On this Rugby Wisdom Podcast, I am joined by one of the most iconic rugby players the game has ever seen, David 'Campo' Campese. Campo is very engaging and insightful as we discuss the state of the game both within Australia and World Rugby in general. David Campese 11 Academy https://davidcampese.com The David Campese 15’’s & 7’s Rugby Academy is a unique – offering of coaching prog...

On this Rugby Wisdom Podcast, I am joined by All Black and World Cup winner, Andy Ellis. Andy's illustrious career to date has seen him play for the Crusaders 150 times, winning two Super Rugby championships. Most recently, Andy has been in Japan playing for Kobe Steelers before COVID brought an abrupt end to the season. Andy is passionate about creating meaningful cultures and environments a...

I am joined by Greg McWilliams, who has built an extensive resume in both community and performance rugby environments. In this conversation, Greg shares his thoughts on how exposure to these different environments has helped shape him as a coach today. Greg has coached in the highly-regarded Irish Schools system in Dublin, leading St. Michaels College. In Ireland, Greg has also coached Trinity Co...

I am joined by one of the leading kicking coaches in the world, Vlok Cillers. Vlok breaks down the technicalities of kicking and covers important training aspects to improve accuracy.  As a player, Vlok played for Western Province and is a capped Springbok (vs New Zealand, 1996). As a coach, Vlok worked with the Blue Bulls alongside legendary Springbok and one of the world's best kickers. Moy...

On this show, I am joined by Brian Ashton MBE. Brian is revered as being one of the most forward-thinking coaches in the game. His coaching career has seen him lead Bath, Ireland, and England. He also built England Rugby’s academy that has created a stream of world-class players. Outside of rugby, Brian mentors coaches within the Premier League.  This show is brought to you by World Rugby Shop. Vi...

I am joined by Jason Ryan, the Crusaders Forwards Coach. Jason shares his wisdom on how to build a dominant scrum.  Jason has also worked as the forwards for the Canterbury provincial team for five years, initially as a Scrum Coach, and then as an Assistant Coach in 2015 and 2016. He also has national experience as the Scrum Coach for the Black Ferns in 2014, and New Zealand Under 20 team for thre...

Sir Ian McGeechan won thirty-two caps, playing at fly-half and centre, and captained the team nine times. Sir Ian, as a player, toured with the British and Irish Lions in both 1974 and 1977. Sir Ian was the British and Irish Lions Head Coach in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009. In 2005 he coached the midweek side on the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand on the invitation of Sir Clive Woodward....

Be part of The Contact Coach community and receive my latest analysis and bonus-content podcasts direct to your inbox! Take 10 seconds to add your email address here. On this Rugby Wisdom in 3, I am joined by Conor O'Shea. As a rugby player, Conor represented London Irish 127 times and was capped by Ireland 35 times. Conor also played at two rugby world cups. As a club rugby coach, Conor has...

On this #rw3, I am joined by Robbie Deans. Robbie provides advice on how to set a team up for success. Robbie has so much wisdom to give that I broke my own rule and published the full 6 minutes! It's worth it.  As a player, Robbie is an All Black and also represented Canterbury on 145 occasions. As a coach, he is the most successful Super Rugby coach in history, winning 5 Super Rugby titles...

On this RW3, I am joined by Gary Gold, USA Head Coach. Gary shares his wisdom on the environments that have helped influence how he coaches today. He discusses his time at London Irish working under Brendan Venter in his first professional environment and also the bonds made at Newcastle Falcons, despite relegation. His key theme: alignment.   Gary has coached professionally for over 20 years. At...

In this #RW3 show, I am joined by Blaine Scully. Blaine shares his experiences from playing at three Rugby World Cups and his evolution as a leader.  Blaine was capped 54 times by the USA, and captained his country to two Americas Rugby Championships and also led his country to 2019 World Cup in Japan. He played for two leading clubs in the UK, Leicester Tigers, and Cardiff Blues. At college, Blai...

In this #rw3 show, I am joined by Nathan Grey. Nathan shares his wisdom on the tackle technique. He breaks down what he feels are the main components for making a successful tackle.  Nathan is a 35 capped Wallaby and during this time won the World Cup in 1999. Domestically, he played 94 times for Waratahs in Super Rugby. Nathan moved into coaching in 2010 with the Rebels. In 2013, Michael Cheika b...

In this #RW3 show, Ben Ryan shares his wisdom on how he uses other sports and groups to unleash peak performance in Rugby.  Ben was the longest-serving England 7s coach with 58 tournaments. In 2015, Ben became Head Coach of Fiji and soon became their most decorated coach of all time with back-to-back World Series titles and back-to-back Hong Kong 7s tournament wins. The best was yet to come, as Fi...

In this #RW3 show, Mat shares what it is like to play professional rugby in the United States and why it has an exciting future.  Mat has been a professional player for 12 years and has represented England 7s at 34 World Sevens Series Tournaments, scoring 92 tries. More recently, Mat has played for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby, winning the championship twice in 2018 and 2019. Mat wi...