News

Players benefit from attending IRANZ

International Rugby Academy
11th August 2005

Specialist one-on-one training from international rugby legends was a highlight for the emerging players who attended the International Rugby Academy (IRANZ) high performance players' course in July.

Players from around New Zealand joined participants from Japan, USA, England, Wales, Scotland and South Africa in Palmerston North for the three-week programme.

David Campese, Chester Williams, Jeff Wilson, Ian Jones and Grant Fox were just some of the rugby greats who were brought together to train the 20 young sportsmen.

Mark Lambert, a loosehead prop at NEC Harlequins and an England under-19 representative said the one thing that stood out for him on the course, was the commitment to positional coaching.

"I picked up a lot of little tricks. If I was being coached by a back they just wouldn't have a clue. When you're playing in the front row you can always learn more... the position specific coaches know so much about the game and they were so willing to pass that information on to us," he said.

New Zealand Universities representative Nicol Ruchti said David Campese's coaching was particularly useful in helping him further develop his timing and positional play on the wing.

"You grow up seeing players on TV and suddenly they're here and you're talking with them. They are normal people with such awesome skills and they are just trying to help you out," he said.

IRANZ founder, former All Black Murray Mexted, said that the training programme had been specially constructed to provide a unique learning experience for all the young players.

"It's no good having Sean Fitzpatrick help a fullback with kicking or David Campese helping a prop with binding. During this course each player works with specialists in his field. This commitment to one-on-one positional coaching, and the international mix of players and coaches, is what makes this course unique in the world," he said.

With the constant demands for improvement being placed on professional rugby players, courses like the IRANZ programme, are being seen by many emerging players as a chance to gain the extra skills needed to break into representative teams at both a national and international level.

Upper Hutt front row forward, Joe Ritchie, welcomed the opportunity to further extend his game. "I came here because I want to become a better player," he said.

"You can talk to someone who has been playing hooker for 30 odd years and he'd give you a decent idea about what lines to run, but in this day and age it's the little things like maybe putting your foot forward and not putting them together that make the difference... the x-factor."

United States IRB sevens representative, Tyson Meek, travelled to Palmerston North to train in a country where rugby is not only the national sport but also where its legends are household names.

"It's completely different in New Zealand, rugby is very much on the fringes in the United States. To come to a country where it's the number one sport and the national sport is completely different."

"All the kids in the country would be pretty jealous that I'm getting to spend time with some of their legends."

Fellow American Oliver McConnell said the IRANZ course had given him a new understanding of rugby.

"We are learning from people who have played all their lives at the very highest levels. It was amazing. I sat down and I had Jeff Wilson, David Campese and Chester Williams sitting behind me, three legends from three different countries together to try and help us," he said. "My eyes have been opened to how rugby training should be."

Murray sees the IRANZ programme as a chance for players to build on their current skills whist providing a supportive environment at all levels.

"We encourage these young guys to really maximise their potential in the game and not to die wondering."

"With a lot of dedication, passion and attention to detail, the IRANZ course can transform their game," he said.