Chicken or egg? Games before skills or vice versa

Jack Pattinson, academy and DPP coach at London Irish, in the South of England, talks to me about how he plans his coaching and what principles drive his sessions.

I challenge him about the balance between skills training and game training, what the future player needs to know and how he measures success.

We discuss:

• The difference between coaching grassroots and academy rugby
• How he helps players love the game
• How do we measure success in our coaching
• Creating World Class young mean and what that means for a 15 year old
• What are the primary principles of the London Irish academy
• Should we be coaching players for what the game might look like in five years’ time
• Why a coach needs to more than a “catch-pass” teacher
• What a plan looks like, and how much it might change
• Free play – how to incorporate it into sessions so it adds value
• A destination for your coaching plan
• The chicken or the egg – do you coach the game and then see what skills are needed or vice versa
• How new rules changes can create a better game