THE WAY The North and the Rugby World Cup

Din Djarin wanders the universe as a bounty hunter earning credits where he can buy Beskar to improve his armour mouldings. One event however, concerning a child, changes his thinking about his chosen way of life…. something he refers to as ‘The Way’.

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Now the Venn diagram of cult-like religions, Star Wars fans and Rugby Union coaches may be a niche one but here I am, about to kill it with this explanation. In the series ‘The Mandalorian’, the main protagonists’ diligent following of his own religious-like mantra called ‘The Way’ hits a snag when it conflicts with an event where he needs to secret his armour from his enemies. It is in this moment of conflict, his slavish following of ‘The Way’ leads to a moment where situational context takes place and is the cause of much angst.

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He had to change his path.

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Currently, rugby union, as we see it at Elite / International level is turning into an exclusive club where unless you are a former elite rugby player, you’re out of luck if you aspire to be a professional coach in the top echelons of European rugby. Of course, there may be exceptions but as a general rule, it seems that thinking inside the box with the devils you know is better than genuinely seeking out those that may offer something of a more lateral approach to the sport.

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If you think I am wrong, sure, that’s a view, so take a moment to look at the coaching teams of every professional rugby side in the UK, how many coaches didn’t play rugby professionally? They are rare.

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There is a case made that the elite end of the game is so complex and intricate that without a background in elite playing, that there is simply no way a non-elite player who becomes a coach could possibly catch up – again, that’s an argument for another day but it would be rude of me not to point out that if the elite end is so complex, shouldn’t the same be said of coaching children if you were a former elite athlete? Isn’t coaching children, especially in a high profile paid role (an environment where significant damage can be done to a developing mind), a more difficult proposition for someone who has not been immersed in that world for many years as an educator with a specialist degree, more of a challenge and yet this seems happens all the time.

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Why do we think the path to elite coaching is hard but coaching children is an easier skill to pick up for a retiring athlete looking for paid employ? As someone who has spent most of his coaching life coaching youth but has been on occasion privileged to coach elite and international rugby, I can assure you, whatever challenges you believe are at the elite level of the game, and they are many and varied, the responsibilities and challenges that come with coaching youth players is something not to stepped into lightly by a newly retired athlete hopefully hired for their qualifications and not for the public relations positivity that would result in their hire.

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What happens in reality is the ex-pro player is surrounded by people in their new role who help them adjust to their new way of life. So why doesn’t that happen with retired amateur players with highly needed expertise and transferable skills alongside the requisite coaching qualifications couldn’t also be surrounded in an elite environment? The obvious answer is that at an elite level, there is no place for learning your trade as you need to be the very best before you start…so why does ex-pro player seemingly walk into elite roles upon retirement …. unless you are of the belief that coaching and playing are the same thing? As a noted colleague of mine recently highlighted, ‘maybe they aren’t coaches at all, maybe they’ve created a world of mentors’ which is whole different issue.

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What’s all this to do with Rugby World Cups? In my limited knowledge of winning world cup sides, it seems that the winners often have coaches somewhere in the group that makes them different from the rest of the competition. Of course, being a top tier nation with all the funding that comes with that helps but what is that final 1% that really makes the difference?

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Diversity of thought maybe?

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Having a voice in the room that may have experiences that lend authority not solely based on personal playing experiences alone but maybe something that may have influenced them outside of the rugby arena. Now I know you all know this but where are we seeing diverse thought and radical appointments in reality in northern hemisphere rugby? Well, we saw it in 1997 with the appointment of Clive Woodward as England coach. You would of course remember that he had once played for England so on the surface that may ruin my diverse thought argument but in truth, the skills he brought to the England role were not solely based on his coaching success with Henley and Bath but I would suggest the defining factor in making England a world beating side was the fact he had been a senior manager in business and understood clearly that a more analytical, business focused approach to the role of England coach could bring success to the National team. A significant portion of his autobiography bears this out.

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Rod MacQueen was the same in 1999 when his business acumen allied to his work building a successful Brumbies franchise that led him ultimately to our sports biggest prize. Jake White, (Teacher) Graham Henry (Teacher) Steve Hansen (Police officer) and Eddie Jones who took England to the final in 2019, (teacher) all stress in the autobiographies that their previous roles allowed them a differing insight into creating multifarious approaches to their roles as elite coaches. Graham Smith, winning coach of the 2014 Women’s RWC, was a rugby development officer coaching kids the very basics of rugby every day for several years before he took on a professional role with England. The last two men’s RWCs have been won by South Africa who admittedly have been coached by Rassie Erasmus who really didn’t have a career outside of rugby like the aforementioned coaches so this would be another challenge to my argument…. were it not for a Strength and Conditioning guy called Jacques Nienaber who was with Rassie since they were involved with the Free State Cheetahs in 2005 and of course, has been an invaluable confidante over the years …. now of course, Jacques is at Leinster.

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Diversity of thought and approach? Naturally, it’s never as simple as bringing in a new voice as trust is built over time but if the chance to meet diverse people with innovative approaches is taken away by the failure those at the top of the game in the first place, then we are simply following ‘The Way’ set by someone else. As a great film maker once said ‘no one ever became rich by following a trend. You only get rich by being the person who sets the trend’. How many of you remember a film called High Road to China? Or the 80s remake of King Solomons Mines? However, I am almost positive that you remember the film that set off the trend of films looking at a hero who has adventures set in the earlier part of the 20th Century, Raiders of the Lost Ark?

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Set the trend!!

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Of course, the successful coaches mentioned above all had significant rugby acumen and success which led to their selection as head coaches of their national teams but what’s missing in Northern Hemisphere rugby is a structure that allows coaches from backgrounds not rooted in professional playing to have a shot at an elite coaching career – possession of a curriculum vitae that isn’t just based around a singular pathway of rugby experiences. The proving ground for success in this diverse thinking would have to be seen in the URC, Top 14 or the Premiership but again, referring back to the question I asked earlier, how many coaching teams have coaches from non-elite playing backgrounds?

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For several years in the north, it seemed that the difference maker for success was to engage more with Rugby League in areas other than defence. League’s continued influence in defensive structure remains to the fore with great success noted at Northampton this season and naturally, it would be remiss of me not to mention the heaviest influence of the League game in the north, that of the work of Andy Farrell in Ireland. But despite the influence of League, is that really the difference maker and diverse thinking we are seeking in the game to bring us success on the biggest stage of all?

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It’s difficult to make the case that the very best coaches are in actuality getting the very best jobs when no structure is in place to genuinely find out who the best coaches in the country actually are. Coaches for elite positions now come from a very small pool which should be the case as only a small number should be able to coach at the highest levels of the game…. I mean, the role is quite difficult but those appointed to finding the very best coaches in the land are doing so from smaller and smaller pool of candidates whose non-rugby life experiences border on the niche. The IP of an ex-pro athlete is extraordinary and shouldn’t be wasted by eliminating them from any process that allows them to make a living as a coach post playing but slavishly finding the next big thing from current players shouldn’t be at the expense of excluding those who may offer some genuine diversity of thought in other fields that could bring success to a national program.

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There is no published difference between qualification awards in rugby coaching but it came as a bit of a shock to me recently when a colleague attended a high level coaching award course (a 3rd level of 4 available) and he was sat beside a professional team academy coach who mentioned that he had to do this course as he wasn’t invited onto the ‘elite’ gathering of the SAME COURSE – if you haven’t got a chance to make it to the highest level even if you work directly alongside, often sharing an office with, some of your professional peers, what chance do the rest of the population have?

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One day while watching an elite coach give a wonderful presentation on attack from a lineout (the hours fly by in my home), the audience were asked to submit questions, one of which is a standard of all of these events, who influences your coaching? It’s a great question as it often reveals the diverse approach to their own educational influences. They mentioned Simon Sinek and a really good book called Turn the Ship Around. Stuart Lancaster, for example, is a huge fan of books on Emotional Intelligence. Others talk about a variety of TED Talks and if you’re curious, I myself am a huge fan of the books of Phil Jackson.

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Have a guess how many times a book by another rugby coach comes up as something that was a huge influence in their current work? Its been a long time anyone has mentioned Jim Greenwood to me and yet, everyone over 40 knows the book ‘Total Rugby’. Have we moved on past that book now? Possibly but how can you be a coach if being widely read in the history of your sport is not encouraged.

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What are the seminal texts in modern rugby coaching? Or is reading ‘de rigeur’ in the digital age?

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Here’s the next question, if professional teams were as supportive of genuine diverse thought as they say they are, why do we not see Simon Sinek-type people working full time with rugby teams. We see them brought in for short times or maybe a season or two but genuinely influential and real lateral thinking long term often isn’t seen. Do we have emotional intelligence specialists as part of the rugby management structure or even high-level coaches from American sports coming in as non-rugby area specialists considering all of us read those books and marvel at how Steve Kerr manages Steph Curry? In many visits to several States in the USA, I have met people all over the place who may not be able to coach rugby but coach they absolutely can – brilliantly so in some cases. There are high school football games in the USA that on a weekly basis have more spectators than any number of Premiership rugby games so saying you embrace diverse thought by reading books on pro sports in other nations but then dismiss the fact that someone who hasn’t played professional rugby may offer a new approach to doing things is a little small minded isn’t it?? Watching ‘Hard Knocks’ over the Summer or viewing ‘The Last Dance’, although interesting to be sure, shouldn’t really be classed as your only immersion into the diverse.

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How many coaches say they admire military approaches to leadership but then never employ anyone from the military to be part of their coaching team despite them having high level, rugby specific qualifications similar to their own in rugby union. Real world leaders who train literally under fire, who also possess a Level 4 Rugby Union award – why wouldn’t you hire them? Ronan O’Gara famously works closely with theming expert Dave Sharkey at LaRochelle, bringing benefits beyond the rugby field and we should recall the maligned coach Eddie Jones did bring in Danny Kerry from England Hockey as a training coordinator. So, it can happen but its rarity allows it to be headline news on the back pages when it should be the norm.

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Imagine if we had a pathway to find coaches who have all of these varied and wonderful managerial and real-world skills in abundance AND are working through high level rugby awards too. What could we do with them if we had a structure that could harness their previous hard work and all we needed to do was aid them in their ambitions to work in elite rugby?

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I was once asked in an interview for a rugby job the best question I have ever been asked in. any interview – ‘I know you can coach rugby, what else can you bring the team?’. I would ask that question of every coach at every level of rugby – you never know what we could find out to bring benefit to our game as a whole but especially at the highest levels. If rugby knowledge is all they possess, maybe there’s an issue there that needs to be addressed.

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So, returning to the start of this missive, northern hemisphere rugby is suffering from being manacled into ‘The Way’ where diversity of thought is not being seen as clearly off the field of play as one would hope. There will be a time when we will need a new way of thinking about not only how we select coaches to take on representative sides but WHO we select to coach them. Usually that time is when a team in the south wins another Rugby World Cup but why not make that change now?

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I know one senior nation that’s already doing this to find new coaches and mentoring them to see how far they could really go as elite coaches. Yes, they are in the north and yes, its working.

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New appointments at international level come from a very restricted field with some club sides similarly narrowing their focus by appointing coaches who used to play for them as they understand ‘the way’ at that club which would be humorous if it wasn’t leading to one unavoidable future – at some point in the very near future, we will reach a stage where a player selected at aged 14 to be part of a regional academy will one day be a future national team coach never having experienced anything in life other than what they have seen within a rugby environ.

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Maybe it’s already happening….but is that progress?