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Excerpts from interviews with Graeme Moody – Radio Network
High Performance Players' and Coaches' Courses
February 2007
Armyn Sanders attended the IRANZ High Performance Players' Course on an NZRU Scholarship. He is in the Waikato Academy, the Waikato U20s and the NZ U19s. Waikato, New Zealand.
“I came on the course with the backing of a New Zealand Rugby Union Scholarship, jacked-up through the Waikato Academy.”
“The information on mental toughness, how to prepare for games and hints on positional play I'd rate the most valuable.”
“Being coached by the likes of Jeff Wilson, Shane Howarth and All Black boss Graham Henry was certainly a bit of a buzz.”
“Going on the Kiwi experience at Taihape and playing the games were other highlights.”
“Simon Holst showing us what to shop for, how to get the best out of our food and cook up healthy meals was also good. But I eat fairly well anyway - I live at home!”
“Yeah yeah.... it's been a totally worthwhile experience, bloody good. Now I just want to see how far I can get in the game.”
Michael Petri was one of two players awarded an ITI Americas – Design Pine Scholarship through the USA Rugby Union. He is halfback for the USA Under 19s, Falcons and US University.
“This course has certainly given me what I wanted. It's shown me what it will take to play at the next level.”
“I've done some of the junior level things and I aspire to make the senior national team.”
“I've learnt that there are certain things I must do as a halfback that I haven't previously considered or realized were part of doing the job well.”
“To have that knowledge now, and the general tools they give you through skill sessions and just playing with a better quality of players around me day in and day out, has certainly made me a better player and hopefully will help me achieve my goals.”
“I'd never come across the match video analysis they do here. It breaks down into little mini- clips everything you did during the game. What you did wrong and really helped me track what adjustments I need to make to everything, from basic technique to my general contribution.”
“It was really interesting to see things like how my body position changed while passing, as I tired through a game for example.”
“I would recommend attending this course to anybody with aspirations in the game to play professionally, or just generally become a better player.”
“It was certainly money well spent.”
Justin Downey is a member of the Natal Sharks Academy in Durban South Africa.
“It's been unbelievable eh. You know... a good experience, meeting all the boys.”
“I found John Eales leadership talk particularly inspiring.”
“Another major factor has been learning that rugby is not all about time in the Gym and running on the field. There's a lot of mental preparation needed to succeed as a professional.”
“My friend Frans Steyne's success after attending IRANZ has made a big impact back in Durban. He came home an entirely different player and went on to make the Springboks. I'd love to follow his lead!”
“I came on the course by myself. I didn't really talk to the union about it before I came and just applied for the course. When I was accepted I just took the opportunity. My best friend's father paid for me to come here. It's been fantastic, a great opportunity. Without a doubt it's been money well spent. Every single cent.”
“It was amazing to have All Black coaches Graham Henry and Steve Hansen taking you for sessions and to be coached by Murray (Mexted) is an honour. To have someone like that guiding you in the position in which you want to be the best is unbelievable, I think.”
Lucas Seccatore was awarded an ITI Americas – Design Pine Scholarship through the Chilean Rugby Union.
“I got on the course by winning a scholarship through the Chilean Union. The scholarship was sponsored by ITI Americas – Design Pine. We had to undergo fitness and skill tests and they chose the best to come to IRANZ.”
“I learnt more about rugby here at IRANZ than I could learn in all my life, so now I know what my weaknesses are and I can improve on them."
“To play professional rugby is what I want. It is very difficult to play professional rugby in Chile because it is amatuer. I hope to go to Europe, Argentina or maybe here in New Zealand to play professional rugby. But I have to work a lot. I have a lot to learn.”
“I am a number 8. The guys here are stronger. I am 87 kgs and the others are like 100kgs. It has been hard work.”
“All the guys here are good people and they helped me a lot.”
“It's been a very good experience and now I have to go away and work very hard.”
Charlie Faumuina is a member of the Auckland Academy who selected him to attend the IRANZ High Performance Players' Course. New Zealand.
Charlie Faumuiana doesn't think he's related to shot-put champion Beatrice Faumuina but reckons he's nearly as big in stature.
“I'm playing prop in the Premier grade and in the Auckland Academy. Mike Wallace, the Academy Manager, recommended me to attend the course, and I'm glad he did.”
“I've learnt a lot, it's been awesome. Guys like Richard Loe have been very helpful with things like scrum techniques and body position into rucks.”
“One of the major things I've come across for the first time is methods and techniques to develop mental toughness. It's not something I'd thought about or come across before, and plays a big part in the game. I always thought it was just talent and skill and stuff, and mental toughness didn't come into it.”
“It was awesome being coached by Graham Henry and his All Black assistant Steve Hansen. It's something I'll always remember.”
High Performance Coaches' Course
Jim Telfer, Former British Lions and Scottish Coach. High Performance Coaches' Course Facilitator. Scotland.
“Oh, as they say in New Zealand - it's been awesome!”
“It's just given me a new lease of life on coaching. I had been out of coaching for three years, having retired. This has really woken me up again.”
“The quality of the course, as far as the organisation and the specialist coaches coming in, and the fact that we have even had the All Black coaches coming in to talk to us is something that wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world.”
“The most important thing from my point of view has been watching the development of the players. Working with the coaches in parallel with the players has been the key to the success. Having quality players around and seeing them develop is so much better than coaching in isolation. So I hope a lot of the ideas can be taken around the world because I feel this is a unique course. So many talented players and coaches under the same roof in such a short space of time, it's been a real eye opener to me.”
“I won't be coaching at senior level again - but I'll take these ideas back to the 16 and 18 year olds I'm working with now.”
“The game is not more complicated these days unless you want to complicate it. There are a lot of buzz words going around but when Graham Henry and Steve Hansen talk, they talk simple things. Their message is - if you get the little things right, the rest of the game looks after itself.”
I think the game is faster and the players are bigger and the game is better than it was when I was coaching. The game is evolving and that's the beauty of the game. It's not the finished article and we're all working to make it a better game.”
“Some things go in cycles. Take the new scrum interpretation. The front rows are folding in just as they did back in the early 1980's. Perhaps the major change is the defence is much better organised now than it used to be.”
“This course has been a real eye-opener to me. I've thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Matthew Taylor, 1st XV Coach at The Southport School, Queensland Schoolboys Coach, Assistant Coach with the Gold Coast Breakers, Australia.
“It's been excellent. The course has been fantastic in terms of learning general rugby things as well as technical knowledge, absolutely world class.”
“I heard about the course from John Mulvihill who was previously the first fifteen coach at the school I teach at. Mulvihill has gone on to become the back coach of the Force in the Super 14. He gave it (the IRANZ course) big raps, and I told the school I wanted to go on the course.”
“I played professionally overseas, the last four years under Tony Gilbert for the Borders team in Scotland, and came home and got straight into coaching.”
“I've got the Queensland Schoolboys team this year and am also helping John Boe with the Gold Coast Breakers.”
“I definitely feel better equipped after this course.”
“Basically when you've got people like Steve Hansen, Mick Byrne and Graham Henry sharing their knowledge you can't help but pick things up. I've picked up heaps.”
“For anyone who is aspiring to be a pro coach, coming to something like this is awesome.”
“We've had the All Black coaching staff and other All Blacks past players with their technical knowledge in the one-on-one sessions. I couldn't recommend it more highly.”
Bevan Cadwallader, Nelson Bays NPC and Tasman Air NZ Cup Assistant Coach. Nelson, New Zealand.
“It's been a great two weeks really immersing myself in rugby, meeting new people and sharing ideas.”
“Having high profile coaches like Graham Henry and Steve Hansen here has helped us cement some ideas in our heads that we might have been wary about trying in the past, and given us some new ideas as well.”
“The key for us is to now take everything we've learnt and transfer it onto the training park and into match day.”
“The position-specific coaches like Graham Mourie, Davie Loveridge and Grant Fox, who were my heroes as a kid, have so much to offer. It was really great to be able to rub shoulders and learn what makes them tick, what made them such good rugby players and hear their ideas on the game.”
“I was really rapt to get the coaching award from Jim Telfer, and hopefully it reflects that I did a good job as well and enjoyed it.”
“I'm really buoyed. I cant wait to get back to Tasman and work with my players, get amongst it and put the new ideas into practise. It's a real confidence boost.”
“We had two club coaches from our region that thrived here after attending previous IRANZ courses and the word is getting out about what IRANZ has to offer. At anew small union like Tasman, we haven't got a huge history and don't have the old players to call on. For us it's been a very useful tool.”
“To have all these guys in one place at one time....you couldn't get it anywhere else.”
“All the coaches that participated are going to become better coaches and the teams they're involved with will reap the benefits.”
“It's a fantastic course.”
