Coaching Culture with Ben Herring

Most youth sports are built to sort kids into winners and losers. Jason Zemke built the Charlotte Cardinals to keep kids playing.

We’re joined by Jason from Charlotte, North Carolina, the head coach behind one of the fastest-growing youth rugby programs in the United States. The Cardinals exploded from a brand-new club into a national powerhouse, but the real story is how they did it: treating rugby as a community first, a development pathway second, and a scoreboard a distant third. We dig into what “stewarding the game” looks like in a developing rugby nation, including the bold move of mixing jerseys at halftime to prevent 100-point blowouts that drive families away.

We also get practical about culture and coaching: why the third half matters, how the Cardinals police sideline behavior, and why “don’t be a dick” is more than a joke, it’s an operating system. Jason shares how standards create winning without chasing winning, how simplifying structures builds confidence, and how outreach and scholarships remove barriers so any kid can belong.

If you care about coaching culture, youth rugby, leadership, and growing the game in the US, this one’s packed with ideas you can steal. Subscribe, share this with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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My dad is about to turn 80, and it’s made me think hard about the quiet stuff we pick up from our parents: the phrases, the reflexes, the way we decide what’s “possible.” Some of that inheritance is gold. Some of it needs to be left behind. I share three lessons he gave me that still shape how I coach, how I lead, and how I try to build a life that actually fits. 

First, we dig into a line that still stops me in my tracks: take the bits of me you like and ditch the rest. It’s a reminder that your upbringing is a default pattern, not a destiny and that real agency starts when you decide what you’ll keep. We connect that to leadership development and coaching, where the goal isn’t creating clones, but giving people room to build their own “Lego tower” of skills, habits, and beliefs. 

Then we tackle the “T” in can’t. I talk through how one small language shift from “I can’t” to “I haven’t learned yet” changes everything, from public speaking and confidence to leading teams, having hard conversations, and learning the craft of leadership. Finally, we zoom out to purpose and time: don’t let society write your timetable. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do and would it look anything like your current life? 

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A rugby club with 1,500 players shouldn’t feel personal, yet Newman Club in Buenos Aires somehow does. Alfredo Cordone explains how Argentina’s club-first rugby pathway creates a level of belonging most countries have lost, where the club becomes a second house and the community is the culture. We talk about the values that sit underneath it all, from humility and respect to sacrifice and long-term development, and why rugby is used as a tool to build better people, not just better athletes. 

We get practical about coaching culture, too. Alfredo shares simple behaviors that scale, like treating every player as a person first and making it a non-negotiable that coaches learn every name. We also unpack what it takes to run a huge amateur program like a real organization, aligning dozens of volunteer coaches, coordinating professional medical staff, and creating routines that keep people connected, including late-night trainings and the legendary Thursday barbecue that turns “team bonding” into real life. 

Then we go to the hard place: losing seven semifinals and finals by one point. Alfredo breaks down how purpose bigger than results and commitment to process kept Newman growing until the championship finally arrived, plus the long-term selection decisions that prioritize the future over short-term fixes. We finish with an honest look at ego and leadership, including what it means to step aside so the team can thrive. If you care about leadership, team culture, and sustainable player development, you’ll take notes from this one. 

Subscribe for more conversations on coaching and culture, share this with a coach or captain who needs it, and leave a review if it helps. What’s one small behavior you’ve seen that instantly builds belonging on a team?

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A lot of talent pathways talk about “development,” but few are honest about what it really takes to build better players without losing the person. We sit down with Euros Evans, Director of Rugby at Coleg Sir Gar and Head Coach at Llandovery RFC, to explore how one of Welsh rugby’s most productive 16 to 18 programs operates inside the Welsh Rugby Union pathway and the Scarlets region. The result is a hybrid model that manages workload, aligns coaching identity, and gives young athletes a clear view of what professional rugby actually demands.

We dig into the nuts and bolts: how the season structure works, what “elite player” means, and why facility investment, S&C, physio support, and coaching time are not luxuries, they are the foundation. Ross shares what has changed most over two decades, including the rise of agents at school games and the growing need to educate parents and players about realistic timelines, selection, and rejection.

The heart of the conversation is culture and holistic development. Euros lays out the standards he cares about most: education first, professionalism, punctuality, discipline, integrity, and resilience. We talk late developers, why the journey is rarely linear, and why “don’t write yourself off at 16” is not motivational fluff, it is a practical truth backed by real careers.

If you care about schoolboy rugby, player welfare, leadership, and building a sustainable high performance pathway, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a coach or parent, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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A lot of people talk about “culture” like it’s a slogan. Dan Elsom lives it, by building a brand-new representative rugby team for the British and Irish expat community in Australia, then turning it into a real platform for players who want more than a club season and a few match fees. This chat gets into the real work: selection standards, coaching alignment, logistics, media, and why making something legitimate matters when you want players and supporters to buy in. 

We also dig into the bigger vision behind the Heritage Cup, a new annual fixture that pairs British and Irish Expat Rugby with the Pacific Warriors to celebrate the heritage that shapes Australian rugby every weekend. Dan shares what it means to create unity across different backgrounds, how you build a “we” fast with limited prep time, and why exposure through live streaming can be a game-changer for semi-pro talent across the Shoot Shield and beyond. 

The most human part of the story is what happens off the field: cold outreach for sponsors, self-funding before there’s proof, juggling the stress of launch while raising a newborn, and learning the hard way about the admin nobody warns you about. We close with the charity partnership with Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), honoring Dan’s mate Max Oliver, and why purpose makes the grind worth it. If you enjoy conversations on leadership, team culture, grassroots rugby, and building community through sport, hit subscribe, share this with a rugby friend, and leave us a review.

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Watching pro rugby on TV can make school rugby look intimidating, but the truth is far more hopeful and far more practical. We’re joined by Tim Murdy, Director of Sport at Shawnigan Lake School, to talk about how a youth rugby program becomes a place where kids feel safe, challenged, and proud. Tim explains why rugby is a powerful shared experience for younger students, especially in a boarding school setting with athletes arriving from many countries and sporting backgrounds.

We get specific about how to coach beginners without overwhelming them: small-sided games, fun-first progressions, and a skills-based approach that teaches passing, catching, tackling, and decision-making for every body type. We also tackle the hard questions parents ask about contact sports. Tim breaks down how qualified coaching, controlled contact teaching, and prescriptive refereeing reduce risk, and why it’s essential not to compare 13-year-olds to professional athletes.

From there, the conversation widens into coaching culture and leadership. Tim shares his definition of excellence: preparation and performance for competitive pathways, and an excellent experience for every student. We explore fundamentals under pressure, training intensity, using wrestling as a safe tool for body control, and the long-term impact of opening your school’s doors to visiting teams and national programs.

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A lot of people talk about “culture” like it’s a slogan on a wall. We wanted something more real, so I sat down with Campese Maafu, a three-time Rugby World Cup prop and 63-test Flying Fijian, to hear what actually holds teams and people together when pressure hits. For Campese, culture is values plus standards, fueled by faith and the responsibility of “upholding your name” for your family, your community, and everyone watching you from back home. 

Campese’s journey is just as gripping as his definitions. He walks us through representing Fiji with Tongan roots, the family pride that comes with international rugby, and the unforgettable moment of debuting against his own brother in the scrum. Then the story takes a turn most fans don’t expect: he retires, becomes a plumber, finishes his apprenticeship, and learns how coaching shows up in everyday work through patience, communication, and repetition with apprentices who all learn differently. 

That repetition mindset becomes the engine of his coaching career, from schools and clubs to one-on-ones and pathways, until he gets the call to join the Fijian Drua as a professional coach. We dig into what the Drua means for Fijian rugby, why young players see rugby as a path out of poverty, and the hard shift from village-style rugby to professional behaviors like nutrition, recovery, strength and conditioning, and set piece pride in scrummaging and mauling. 

If you care about rugby coaching, leadership development, and building a high-performance culture without losing your humanity, you’ll take a lot from this one. Subscribe, share it with a coach or player who needs it, and leave a review, what’s one standard you want your team to live by this week?

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Winning is loud. Development is quiet. And in school rugby, the noise can crush the very kids we are trying to help. I sit down with Roddy Dean, one of Scotland’s leading schoolboy rugby coaches and longtime Director of Rugby at Merciston Castle School, to unpack what actually builds a lasting coaching culture, especially when expectations, parents, and tradition all pull in different directions.

We get into Roddy’s Borders upbringing and how being surrounded by elite players and strong community values shaped his discipline, humility, and leadership. From there, we dig into what he calls a real coaching superpower: observation. Not “watching film” observation, but noticing the kid who is off, the teammate who is acting out, or the player who needs an arm around the shoulder before it becomes a bigger issue. Roddy connects emotional intelligence, relationships, and standards with a simple test: how do you behave when you think no one is watching?

Then we go practical. Roddy explains the “golden triangle” that aligns coach, parent, and player, why multi-sport development beats early specialization for most young athletes, and how tours and community experiences can educate for life, not just rugby. We also break down how Merciston shifted from chasing trophies to focusing on process and pathways, and why fun is not a bonus but the foundation for performance.

If you coach youth sports, lead a school program, or parent a young athlete, you’ll leave with frameworks you can use this week. Subscribe, share with a coach who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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A packed stadium, free entry, a brand-new team built across borders, and a cold email that ends with Northampton Saints landing in Colombo. We talk with Saabir Cader, the founder behind the Asian Pacific Lions, about how Sri Lanka rugby became the perfect home for a world-class showcase and why belief matters more than permission when you’re trying to build something that doesn’t exist yet. If you care about rugby culture, sports leadership, and what it takes to create opportunity, this story hits hard. 

We dig into the side of Sri Lanka that many rugby fans never see: a school rugby ecosystem drawing thousands of supporters, a proud 147-year rugby history, and a national culture that unites through adversity. Then we get honest about the bottleneck after schoolboy rugby, where huge participation doesn’t automatically become club rugby, professional pathways, or high performance systems. Saabir shares what changed after COVID, how corporate backing affects player development, and why smarter structures are essential for Asian rugby and Pacific rugby to keep more talent in the game. 

From there, it’s the nuts and bolts of making a major event happen: securing sponsors, earning trust without a track record, assembling players from Japan, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, and building a team culture in weeks. We also talk about bringing in legends like David Campese, what World Rugby could do differently to support developing rugby nations, and Saabir’s long-term plan to connect education with elite rugby opportunities so even one young player can break through. 

If you enjoyed this, subscribe to Coaching Culture, share this with a rugby mate, and leave a review so more people can find stories about building the game the right way. What part of Saabir’s approach would you copy first?

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A captain’s job gets real when the message is hard and the stakes are higher than one person’s pride. Jamie Henry joins us to talk about the uncomfortable side of professional rugby: selection, disappointment, and the quiet way a results-driven environment can make players feel like decisions are personal. We dig into what actually earns respect inside strong teams, why “no one is bigger than the team” only works when it shows up in daily behavior, and how leaders keep trust intact when not everyone gets what they want. 

Jamie’s story runs through Japanese rugby culture, where respect, elders, and the group come first. He shares how the senpai kohai dynamic shaped him, and why he chose to redefine respect on the field as full-blooded effort, not hesitation. That one shift has big implications for multicultural squads, communication under pressure, and building a shared standard without erasing anyone’s identity. 

Then we go deep on the Asia Pacific Lions, a new Asia Pacific rugby project designed to create real professional rugby pathways for Asian players outside Japan. Jamie explains the mission, what it is like captaining a team that includes seasoned international stars, and how the Lions pulled off an inaugural match in Colombo, Sri Lanka against Northampton Saints. We also explore Sri Lanka as an underrated rugby hotbed and what success should look like ten years from now: Asian players earning chances in top leagues because this platform existed. 

If you care about rugby leadership, team culture, and growing the game across Asia, hit subscribe, share this with a rugby mate, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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