Ben Ryan is an English rugby union coach who is best known for coaching the Fiji sevens team to a gold medal in sevens rugby at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

As Fiji's sevens coach from 2013 to 2016, he guided the team to their first-ever Dubai 7's title and set the record of tournament titles won by a Fiji Sevens coach with nine. The gold medal was the first-ever medal won by Fiji at any Olympics.

Fiji is one of the most underfunded and under-resourced countries on the planet and in this episode Ben shares:

• How to create a culture around "The Standard you walk past is the Standard you become"
• Bens love for each and every one of the players and the lengths he went to build rapport and trust with each of the players
• Skill acquisition, attention to detail and how he fine-tuned the Fijian offload game to be the deadliest on the planet
• Ben explains how he overcame his ego when he was England to focus on team success, not individual success
• Building lifelong relationships with his manager Ropate Kauvesi and Captain Osea Kolinisau to take the team to gold in Rio.
• How to create a safe environment for any team or business where players feel safe and believe in the common purpose

This episode was mind-blowing for me and it spoke to the true nature of what it means to coach and lead a team. Wherever you fit into the world of rugby this episode is an absolute must-listen.

SPONSORS

Hudl - New Partnership

Hudl powers sports. More than 150,000 teams including the best in the world use Hudl to elevate their performance with video and analytics. Get your own personalised kicking review done by Peter using Hudl based on the 10 Pillars of Goal Kicking. Get your own kick reviewed now for 25% off.

Rugby Bricks Passing Program

This is our on-field and gym passing program used by those at the highest level of the game. This program was crafted by Peter Breen with All Black Aaron Smith to teach players how to generate power, accuracy, and consistency in their passing. Get the program here. You can now grab it for 75% off until rugby is up and running again.