I’ve not written a Touchline Tale for a while now. But thanks in particular to Chris Sweetapple’s prompting, I’m going to revive my weekly blog on the world of rugby, learning and coaching.
It’s not that I’ve been short of topics. But I felt it was high time to start chatting about some of the issues of the day.
Christian Wade squeezes through three defenders
Chris told me that it had been a big week for players leaving rugby for pastures new. Not only had Christian Wade, the former Wasps and sometimes England winger, turned his attention to NFL, but Chris’s U16s team captain had decided to put his efforts into boxing.
And then Matt Dawson, England’s World Cup winning scrum half posts this on Twitter…
I’d love to say I remember it well but he knocked me in to the next day…. I played on for 10/15 mins calling all my club moves… unfortunately I do fear there’ll be plenty of consequences in the long term for me. #brutalgame#notformykidshttps://t.co/qRhRoX3mPI
The perpetrator of the tackle was Corne Krige, the South African skipper on the day. I was at the match. It was the most brutal game of rugby I’ve ever seen. Krige has since apologised for his behaviour. But Dawson still says: #brutalgame and #notformykids.
I don’t think rugby is as violent as this anymore. It is certainly a tough game with plenty of chances for injury. But, is it still a game for all shapes and sizes? Christian Wade is a diminutive, yet effective winger. He has scored many outstanding tries. It’s also perceived that he’s too small for the international stage, and hence he’s decided to go to another sport for more recognition.
I think the focus on size is very much something at the top end of the game. However, it does drive some very muddle-headed thinking at lower levels. Especially at academies and the surrounding feeder clubs, strength and conditioning plays a big part in the weekly routine. So, if that’s say two to three hours a week on pure conditioning, that’s two to three hours a week where the player is not playing this sport or indeed any other sport.
Okay, the players need to be fit and strong. However, I keep hearing about players who are doing an hour’s work at the gym before they go to school. In my mind, that’s disruptive for the child, and for the families who want to support them.
One of the major reasons that children drop out of sport is that they are bored. They want to spend more time “hanging out”. Or they just want some variety. I know plenty of coaches who’ve been with their teams since the U6s. By the time they are U13s, that seven years of Sunday mornings in the winter. Who doesn’t mind a lie on a Sunday once in a while?
If players spent a little less time in the gym, then it wouldn’t be about size. The collisions would less impactful. There will still be a few mad folk about, like the Springbok captain back in the day. But, given that, how about shorter seasons and a month off from the game in the middle of the season. Just train to play a couple of times a week and only once if you are under 13.
I don’t think it will catch on. I do think more players, and coaches, will leave the sport though.
Sarah Cottingham, teacher educator and Educational Neuroscience MA, challenges us on how we think we learn and how we might apply it to our coaching.
Dan Cottrell provides the rugby examples. MORE
It is interesting to reflect on the impact of famous author Dorothy L. Sayers on modern coaching. Way back in 1947, she challenged teachers to make their students think deeper and think more, so they learn for themselves. MORE
In my previous article, I outlined how I set up my Veo for games and training.
I've now had a greater opportunity to use it for recording games.
Again, I come at this without much recent experience of using video analysis software. I don't have much time to sit down and code games. Instead, I will mainly use the footage to pick out some key points to help inform my coaching and to share moments with the players. MORE
This article comes from Alan Zondagh LinkedIn account. It is discussed by Alan with Phil Llewellyn in a Roundup Rodeo special, with guests Ian Costello and Nick Wood. Former Bulls Director of Rugby and seasoned South African coach Alan Zondagh believes the sport is in need of a drastic overall change. My rugby journey started... MORE
Bill Walsh won three Superbowls with the San Francisco 49ers. When he took over as head coach in 1979 they were arguably the worst team in American football history. Within two years they were the best. This sympathetic and honest book, published after Walsh’s death in 2007, but largely in his own words, explains in detail the methods he used to achieve extraordinary success. MORE
From our Rugby Coach Weekly archive of Touchline Tales, commenting on a game in an U15 Cup tournament. Last weekend we lost 20-22 in a cup game. The opposition scored at the end from a disputed lineout on our line and we felt our jumper was impeded. MORE