The Coaching Arena

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...