The Coaching Arena

Principles, People, Relationships and Environment. On this episode it was fantastic to chat with Blue Bulls Pathway Coach and World Rugby Educator, Ofentse Moeng. This chat was incredibly eye opening for me and full of coaching advise. There is too much to list below, but these chats have been invaluable to my coaching and Ofentse should write a coaching book. Ofentse's advice on the environme...

On this episode it was awesome to sit down and chat with professional rugby coach Andy Gallacher. Andy worked in academy and national age grade rugby as an Assistant Coach with Scotland u18s and Academy skills coach within the Scottish Rugby Pathway. Andy currently works as a Pathway Coordinator with RugbyWA in Australia. This was a brilliant chat on creating the culture and environment for player...

On the episode, I was incredibly fortunate to chat with elite coach, Emma Doyle. Emma is the author of the book 'What Makes A Great Coach', a TedX speaker and host of The Coaching Podcast. Emma is a former high performance tennis player turned corporate coach and has been described as the real life female version of Ted Lasso. This was an incredibly eye opening chat as Emma explained : Questions a...

On this episode, I had the huge privilege to be joined by Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and ex Western Force assistant coach, Will Eggleston. This was a fantastic chat on how a good coach is a good human, and how a coach should have really simple messaging and challenge their players. Will's insights on building confidence and that less is more brings about positive results were incredibly useful to m...

On this episode, it was absolutely brilliant to chat with Aldo Birchall. Aldo is a former professional rugby player and is now defence and breakdown coach for Italian URC club Zebre. This was a great chat with advice and insights on leaving your mark on a player and knowing when and how to have difficult conversations with your players. Aldo's points on bringing energy and having positive body lan...

On this episode, I was blown away to be able to speak with an All Black both as a player and coach, Greg Feek. Greg's insights were incredbile, as you can expect from an All Black, this chat was jam packed of lessons and insights. Greg covered so much, but what stood out for me is that good coaching is not all about trophies. Winning and winning regularly does not happen by accident and that there...

On this episode it was fantastic to sit down and chat with professional football coach, Ash Thompson. You could sense the approach Ash has to his coaching with clarity, purpose and culture ringing very loud. Ash explained that yes, there is planning and topics to be addressed, but at the heart of it is a human being, and that person is at the centre of it all. It was evident that Ash believes that...

On this episode, I had the privilege to chat with professional rugby coach, Tomaso Parrini. This chat was incredibly enlightening, as we discussed the responsibility but sheer privilege of coaching. Tomaso has coached across many countries and his reflections that as coaches, we are landmarks and allow players to make their own path with a coach acting as a guide really resonated with me. Tomaso's...

On this episode, it was incredible to chat with professional rugby coach, Coenie Basson. Coenie is a former professional player who transitioned into coaching, coaching in the French Top14 and Pro D2 leagues. This was an incredibly insightful chat on understanding the human element to coaching and understanding players as people first, then athletes. Coenie also explained the importance of culture...

On this episode of the Coaching Arena, it was brilliant to sit down with Premiership winning rugby player, Calum Clark. Calum has played for Northampton Saints, Saracens and England and is the founder of Innate High Performance, working with individuals across sports and business. Calum is a psychologist, coach and consultant. This was an incredibly eye opening chat focusing on many aspects around...

On this episode it was awesome to sit down with Cody Royle. Cody coaches head coaches in elite sports. Cody himself has coached AFL at international level with Canada. Cody now coaches elite head coaches across rugby, football, AFL, basketball and ice hockey to name a few. He has written three books (Where Others Won't, The Tough Stuff and Second Set of Eyes), and is a podcast host. This was a com...

On this episode, it was awesome to chat with Craig Stewart, skills coach at recent Japanese League One winning rugby union side, Kobe Steelers. This was a fantastic chat, jam packed with insights from an elite coach. We spoke of many things, including : Understanding the people you are working with The love of the game and enjoyment Traits of elite players Keeping clarity with simplicity Being a '...

On this episode of The Coaching Arena, I had the absolute privilege to hear the insights of world renowned rugby coach Damian McGrath. Damian has been a professional coach since 1990, and has coached at elite levels in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. Damian has coached at domestic and international sides, including Leicester Tigers and at 7s level, with England, Spain, Manu Samoa, Canada, Germa...

On this episode, I had the absolute privilege to speak with Warren Spragg. Warren is the kicking coach at Prem Rugby Club, Sale. He has played for Italy, Italy 7s, England u21s and England u18s. He has over 20 years experience in elite level rugby as a player and coach. I am blown away with the coaches and athletes that have given me their time and insights on the Coaching Arena. These chats are g...

On this episode I had the absolute privilege to hear the insights from International Rugby Coach, Paul Delport. Paul is currently Head Coach of India Women's 7s, having previously coached South Africa Women's national rugby 7s team. As a player, Paul played for the Lions and Stormers before focusing on rugby sevens, where he captained the Blitzboks and has won the IRB Sevens World Series. Paul als...

It was absolutely fantastic to chat with international rugby coach, Alex Laybourne on this episode of The Coaching Arena. Alex is Head Coach of Sweden Men's rugby team, having previously been Scotland's Women's u20s Head Coach. This was a brilliant chat, with Alex giving his insights on : The importance of a mentor in order for coaches to develop Understanding the player Connection with players an...

On this episode I had the huge privilege to chat with elite rugby coach, Rod Seib. Rod's CV speaks for itself. Rod is a former player for the Queensland Reds and Glasgow Warriors. He has also played for Australia in rugby sevens. In March 2025, Rod signed with Irish side, Connacht Rugby as Senior Assistant Coach with responsibility for team attack. Prior to this, he was Head Coach of the Queenslan...

The willingness of elite athletes and coaches to sit down and share their insights on what makes a great coach has blown me away. I have learnt so much from these chat that that would have otherwise taken me years. On this episode, I had the absolute privilege and joy to sit down and hear the views of Grand Slam Tennis player and coach, Sofia Shapatava. This was an incredible chat as we spoke of m...

On this episode, I had the incredible fortune to sit down and chat with International Rugby Coach and former international player, William Broderick. An incredibly enlightening chat, full of insights and advice from a highly talented coach. We spoke of : Connecting and adapting to people and the situation Understanding your environment Engagement players Results vs Process The types of mistakes Th...

On this episode I had the privilege to speak with professional rugby coach, Rhys Davies. Rhys is a rugby coach at Saracens RFC academy and was previously at London Irish. This was an incredibly insightful chat jam packed with advice on becoming a great coach We spoke of : Understanding your players Falling in love with the process Goals, process and outcomes Core Values Becoming a professional rug...

On this episode I had the absolute fortune to speak with professional rugby player and coach Scott Hall. Scott is the Women's head coach at Oxford University, founder of Rugby Allstars, professional rugby player at Chinnor and an academy coach at Bath. This was such in inspiring chat, full of insights, experiences and knowledge that Scott passed on, including : Why it is the person first, then the...

On this episode it was absolutely fantastic to be joined by elite rugby player, Tim Swiel. Tim has played at the elite level across the world, including with Western Province, Sharks, Stormers, Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Saracens and Chicago Hounds. Tim is embarking on his own coaching journey and it was brilliant to chat on many topics, including : What is the most underrated coaching skill W...

On this episode I was hugely privileged to be joined by world renowned rugby coach Mike Friday. I learnt so many things in this chat as we spoke of many things, including : What makes a good coach What is a coach's ultimate goal What is the biggest responsibility a coach has The power of flexibility and communication The importance of being able to adjust Reframing performance, not results Why you...