Rugby Coach Weekly

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly Podcast, Dan Cottrell is joined by Adam Izzard, Head of Rugby and Head of Boarding at Stonar School. Adam shares his inspiring journey of building a rugby program from scratch at a small, co-educational school better known for its equestrian facilities than its rugby teams. From turning a horse paddock into a full-size rugby pitch to coach...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dan Cottrell sits down with renowned sports scientist and learning expert Mark Williams to explore some of the most controversial and misunderstood myths in sports coaching. Mark is a visiting professor at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University. A world-leading expert in skill acquisition, Mark has authored 20 books and nearly...

Send us Fan Mail Join Dan Cottrell as he dives deep with coaching legend Dave Collins in this thought-provoking episode of Rugby Coach Weekly. Together, they explore how context dictates coaching strategies and how to develop adaptable, critical-thinking players. Dave tackles big questions: What does a Dave Collins rugby session look like? How do you balance questioning with active practice? Why i...

Send us Fan Mail Join host Dan Cottrell as he sits down with Danny Powell , a skill acquisition developer and performance psychologist from Manchester Metropolitan University. Danny shares his expertise working with coaches, including GB Aquatics and Sale Sharks, to explore the art and science behind skill acquisition. In this episode, they dive deep into: What "skill acquisition" really...

Send us Fan Mail Dan Cottrell chats with Graham Bourton, head coach of the Milton Keynes Under 15s. Since taking over in 2016, Graham has transformed the team from a mere 5 players to a thriving squad of 25, thanks to his innovative coaching methods and strong community engagement. In this engaging conversation, Graham shares: His journey from rugby parent to influential coach. The methods and tra...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly Podcast, host Dan Cottrell sits down with Alex Hadley, Director of Rugby at Battersea Ironsides, to explore what it takes to build and sustain one of the world's largest community rugby clubs.  Alex shares insights on balancing player availability and club culture, creating a positive and welcoming environment, and using flexible stra...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dan and Lindsay Abery, Thatcham U14 coach and former mini and junior chair, dive into the ins and outs of building a thriving rugby culture in schools.  They tackle essential topics like engaging new players, ensuring safety with innovative techniques, and adapting coaching styles for different age groups.  Lindsay shares practical strategies for growing rugby&apo...

Send us Fan Mail Fi Hayes is a former Ireland international, winning two Six Nations and representing her country in the 2014 World Cup. More recently, she has coached UL Bohemians to cup and league titles, been head coach of Munster U18 girls, and is now Munster Women's head coach. She has also been the Energia Women's AIL coach of the year twice. In the podcast, I ask: What does a Fion...

Send us Fan Mail Dan welcomes Matt Garvey to the podcast. Matt had 13 years in English top flight rugby, playing for London Irish, Bath where he was also captain, Gloucester and Worcester.  He is now the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA)  Development Manager for Bath Rugby and Gloucester. In the podcast, they discuss: When an 18-year-old signs up for a club, what happens next? Even talented players...

Send us Fan Mail We are delighted to welcome back Keith Lewis to the podcast. Keith is a practising referee and runs the RugbyReferee.net website and Facebook community. Dan asks Keith about: The three new laws for this season The experimental laws you might see that aren't enshrined yet The old favourites of why it seems that not-straight at the scrum is ignored, why referees allow players t...

Send us Fan Mail In this short podcast, Dan speaks to Gary Townsend, head of rugby at Switch Rugby about whether we have the wrong expectations of young rugby players. He is former RFU National Player Development Manager and Bristol Bears Junior Academy manager. In this episode, they discuss what a capable 13-year-old rugby player should achieve on the pitch and what coaches need to do differently...

Send us Fan Mail We are going to turn the tables and Stu James, is going to ask me the questions. Stu is a club coaching ordinator and colts coach at Guildford RFC, as well as a coach within the Quins Foundation programme and for Surrey Colts. In addition to these volunteer roles, he has a day job as a business consultant and executive coach. In the podcast, Stu challenges me on: What question do...

Send us Fan Mail In this short podcast, Dan speaks to Gary Townsend, head of rugby at Switch Rugby with a focus on deciding when to help players specialise as a 9 or 10. He is former RFU National Player Development Manager and Bristol Bears Junior Academy manager. In this episode, they discuss the best age, why it makes sense for this position and how it impacts their future development. To find o...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Coaching Knife when we cut to the root of the matter. In this episode, we speak to Martin Haag, high performance team and executive coach. Focusing on managing people rugby we are going to cut to the root on the importance of having a coaching philosophy. Martin played for 14 years at Bath, then coached Bath, Nottingham, Bristol, Bath Academy England U20 World Cup W...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Coaching Knife when we cut to the root of the matter. In this episode, we speak to Nic Evans, L4 coach and former director of rugby for the Kings Cross Steelers. Focusing on women's rugby, we are going to examine why there aren’t more women coaches coaching both men's and women's rugby. Nic is a former head of PE, director of sport, and then lecturer...

Send us Fan Mail Dan speaks to one-half of the Squidge Rugby Owen brothers, Will. With a massive following for their YouTube channel, Squidge Rugby analyses matches in a unique, bringing insight and entertainment in equal measure. Will is an avowed rugby geek but also still plays and coaches his local team's colts. Dan asks him about: How Squidge Rugby come into the world . Translating comple...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Coaching Knife when we cut to the root of the matter. In this episode, we speak to Gavin Blackburn, Head Coach Cambuslang RFC . Focusing on the scrum rugby we are going to cut to the root on how to deal with a pack that’s dominating you. Gavin was a former age-grade district and international prop. He was a member of Saracens’ academy programme in the late 1990s, th...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Jocelyn Solomons tackles significant issues in women's sports. In this episode, she talks to Lyndon Julius about the role of media in this domain. Lyndon is a communications specialist and creative storyteller with over a decade of experience in sports reporting. He is dedicated to community sports and immerses himself in grassroots athletic endeavours.  With written and d...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Coaching Knife when we cut to the root of the matter. In this episode, we speak to Jamie Barnwell, Head Coach Cayman 7s and Performance director. Focusing on 7s rugby we are going to cut to the root on to coach to compete when you have limited speed. Can you win a game of sevens if you don’t have any pace in your team? Jamie spent five years as head coach of the Ber...

Send us Fan Mail Dan speaks to Stuart Welsh, founder of ALTA Education.  With nearly two decades of experience in education, specialising in maths teaching and as well as coaching rugby in schools, Stuart is a well-sought-after speaker and presenter. He has taught and led teams in schools worldwide, authored popular math textbooks, and founded a widely-used educational website used by tens of thou...

Send us Fan Mail We speak to Ben Lazenby, Head of Youth at Wakefield Trinity RLFC in this episode. Focusing on game understanding we are going to cut to the root on how a player-centred approach might lead to a shared collective team cohesion. The first question: Is a player-centred approach to game understanding just us waiting for the players to give us the right answer? Previously, Ben was the...

Send us Fan Mail Dan speaks to Cath Bishop about what winning really means and how we can create the right sort of winning in our sporting environments. Cath is a highly sought-after consultant and coach, an Olympian, former diplomat and author of The Long Win, the second edition published in May. She is also a regular contributor to the Guardian and a podcast host. Visit her website here , where...

Send us Fan Mail In this short podcast, Dan speaks to Gary Townsend, head of rugby at Switch Rugby with a focus on developing young players, coaches and clubs.  He is former RFU National Player Development Manager and Bristol Bears Junior Academy manager. In this episode, they discuss what players want from your coaching sessions. To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Co...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Coaching Knife when we cut to the root of the matter. In this episode, we speak to Jason Gilmore, Waratahs Senior Assistant Coach (Defence) and Australia A head coach. Note! He was with the Waratahs when we recorded this. He is now defence coach with Harlequins. Focusing on defence, we are going to cut to the root of who is the most important player in ruck defence....

Send us Fan Mail Dan speaks to Tom Morris from Progressive Rugby, an independent player welfare lobby group founded in 2021 to drive change that both better protects player brain health and the game’s long-term future. In this episode, they discuss: Separate strategies to make rugby safer and more appealing at both the community and professional level Improving education and the need for a concuss...