Bird and LJ welcome Kate Burke, Lead Pathway Analyst with England Rugby. Kate has an MSc in Sports Analysis. After working in Wales with academy teams, she moved to the RFU in 2008, working with U18s and covering the men’s teams. She then joined Bath for two years as head of analysis, before returning to the RFU to oversee analysis provision across the pathway, women’s, 7’s and referees’ departments.
In the podcast, Bird and LJ asked the following questions:
Why did you choose to study sports analysis?
Has rugby always been the sport you wanted to work within?
What would you say have been your biggest challenges working within rugby?
Have you worked with any coaches or in any environments that have had a lasting impression on how you now operate in your day-to-day work?
What might a typical week look like for a performance analysis working in a professional rugby environment?
Have you seen the analysis role develop/change since you started in 2007?
How/what do you feedback to players/coaches in terms of previews and reviews?
How can a community coach, with a minimal budget, start building analysis into their environment? Are there any key areas that you would suggest focusing on?
Are there any good online platforms/apps that you would recommend to coaches who want to utilise video footage more during their training week?
What equipment would you suggest to get started?
Have you seen any good practices from other sports that you think we could utilise in rugby to help develop our players and coaches?
What current trends do you see developing within the game at the moment?
Where do you see the game going over the next season?
Bird and LJ caught with Rachel Lund, former England international and now a Gloucester-Hartpury player who is studying to become a physio.
They asked her about the following:
Her journey from minis player to premiership.
Combining and juggling her commitments as an international and club player whilst studying full time for a degree.
Whether she would have changed to a full-time contract if she had been offered it.
The importance of having many career options.
Her current degree in physiotherapy.
How her degree combines with her sport. MORE
Bird and LJ catch up with England Women's assistant coach, Amy Turner.
Amy played 59 times for England, at scrum-half, centre and hooker. She played in three World Cups and helped England win seven Six Nations Grand Slams.
She is currently a World Rugby intern. Formerly a police officer, she worked for the RFU as a Performance Pathway Officer and coached men's rugby too. MORE
Bird and LJ talk to Lynne Cantwell, the first high performance manager for the women’s game in South Africa.
Lynne is Ireland’s most capped (86) female rugby player. She was appointed to the South African role in February 2021. She has been a member of Sport Ireland’s board since 2019. She is also a qualified physiotherapist. MORE
Carol was a founder member of the women's RFU, captain Great Britain and England international teams in their games. She was the first woman to achieve a L3 coaching award in England and was performance director of women's rugby in England too.
As well as being awarded an OBE for services to women's rugby, she is in the World Rugby Hall of Fame and consults for World Rugby. MORE
Bird and LJ welcome Vicky Macqueen.
Vicky, who received a British Empire Medal for services to sport, was an England international with 34 caps, plus also representing England at 7s.
She has coach men's rugby with Hinkley, was director of women's rugby at Loughborough University, as well as coaching at Lichfield Women.
In 2015 she founded didi Rugby UK and now has franchises across the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Italy.
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