True Grit- The afterword by James Horwill

Ididn’t really know Beau before he turned up at the Reds at the end of 2010 for the 2011 preseason. My only contact had been playing against him when he was with the NSW Waratahs. At that time, he was the ‘bench warmer’ for Phil Waugh, Beau was regarded as a hard-nosed, dogged determined and slightly mouthy number 7. The type of player you hated to play against but the type you wanted to play with. Before too long, I had my chance, in the summer before the 2011 season Beau turned up - no job, no contract, and no guarantees – whilst working in a pub at Goodna. He had approached our then coach Ewen McKenzie for a spot on the training paddock. From the first training session you could see the Beau possessed something that many budding sporting professionals lack, and that’s 'grit’.

Angela Duckworth is the world’s leading expert on ‘grit’, the much-hyped ingredient in personal success. As Duckworth defines it, grit is passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way.

Beau Robinson is the embodiment of ‘grit’. When all the cards were stacked against him, his self-belief, passion and perseverance turned out to be the key ingredients, which led to him being a key member of winning Queensland Reds 2011 side. Destroying his elbow against the Crusaders just a month out from the final, many questioned whether Beau, the scruffy

blonde-haired icon of the side, would make it back in time. But this was only a minor setback for Beau, not only did he push himself to get back into the starting side, which went onto win the title, but as a result, in just 24 hours he was called up for the first time into Robbie Dean’s 2011 Wallabies squad.

This success was a result of Beau’s resilience and adaptability. Over his career he has conquered adversity through various injuries and performance-based team changes. He has been able to find the opportunity in perceived catastrophes and inspire others around him to adapt and collaborate. Being agile, Beau set new goals to meet these changing conditions and adopted new ways of thinking to continually offer incremental value to team.

It was through this dedication, that after the 2011 season Beau became a mainstay of that Queensland side. Beau is a man who will never ask anything of anyone that he is not prepared to do himself, he set the highest standards for himself on and off the training paddock, which motivated the younger players within the team and earned the respect and admiration of his peers.

It was over these five seasons at the Reds, where Beau went on to earn 56 caps, that my friendship and admiration for Beau grew. He was a trusted confidant, particularly during my years as Captain of the team.

After the 2015 season, I moved onto new opportunity in the UK with Harlequins FC. During my first year my coach approached me for some advice on whether they look to recruit this quintessential Aussie bloke on a medical joker contract, it was a no-brainer, I would always be the first to vouch for ‘Bunge’.

Now the Brits are a different bunch, and Beau’s presence was always going to make an impact. In fact, the coach at the time, Conor O’Shea said to me he thought Beau was so laid back he was going to crack a beer on the early morning skype call.

Over the season, Beau played just the sole game for Harlequins, however, ask anyone at the Club at that time and they would say Beau was one of the most valuable team members of that squad. To this day, Beau is still held in cult figure status, in a club which is steeped in tradition and English history.

I will be the first admit, I was surprised to hear that Beau was writing a book. However, there is no doubt in my mind that Beau’s new endeavour will be a great success.

Beau is well versed to write a book about success because he has been on of life’s greatest rollercoasters. He has been through it all; he has seen and lived the most extraordinary highs but has also pushed through the most devastating of lows. In his career to date, he has shown ‘true grit’ – a commitment to finish what he started, to rise from his setbacks, and a desire to improve and succeed. But what make’s Beau a real champion is that he has done all of this without any concern for reward or recognition. His courage, optimism and endurance can only inspire those around him.

Having recently retired from professional rugby, I have been able to see firsthand how the traits you learn in the sporting arena, sacrifice, passion, determination and motivation, cross to the business world. For any business leaders or executives, and those aspiring to be, as Beau states – your success is determined by no one other than yourself – however this book will provide you with the tools to motivate you to get started, or give you greater clarity as your pursue your next goals, with a bit of “Bunge’s” authentic and unique honesty, cheek and stories along the way.

James Horwill,

Former Wallabies, Reds & Harlequins captain.

Horwill played for the Wallabies on 62 occasions and captained the Wallabies during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and British & Irish Lions Tour in 2013.

He played over 120 games for the Queensland Reds Super Rugby matches for the Reds and The second-rower led the franchise to its first professional title, beating the Crusaders in the 2011 Super Rugby Final. He is also the Reds longest serving captain.

Horwill played 5 of those seasons at the Reds with Beau from 2011-15 before reuniting in the U.K at the Harlequins for the 2015/16 season, where he would go on to once again earning captaincy duties.

He is currently studying his EMBA at the University of Cambridge and is the Director for Strategic Planning for EGR Europe.

He is an inspirational leader through both his actions and relentless determination, he inspires others around him through his focus on teamwork and culture and delivers with humility. 

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