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In this episode, Dan Cottrell is joined by Phil Kearney, Associate Professor at the University of Limerick and co-founder of an organisation focused on developing a positive community of practice in skill acquisition

Together, they challenge one of coaching’s most ingrained habits: starting session design with drills, outcomes, and end goals rather than with how players actually learn. Drawing on skill acquisition research, coach education, and applied examples from grassroots to performance sport, the conversation reframes what effective practice really looks like.

Key points covered:

• Why engaging sessions can still produce very little learning.
• How coaches often mistake activity, enjoyment, and busyness for improvement.
• What skill acquisition actually tells us about how players learn and retain skills.
• Why starting with outcomes can distort session design and decision making.
• Practical principles coaches can use to design practices that transfer to the game.

The best ways to engage with Phil are:

University of Limerick (professional email):
mailto: [email protected]

LinkedIn:
Active in sharing work on skill acquisition, coaching practice, and applied research. Suitable for professional introductions, collaboration requests, and podcast or event invitations.

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In this Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell sits down with Darren Rea, John Peel, and Gareth Lewis to explore how inclusive SEND rugby has grown from a few Sunday sessions into a powerful community movement known as KatieFest.

Together, they share how simple, values-led coaching has created safe, joyful, and challenging rugby environments for players with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, while also bringing parents, carers, coaches, and clubs closer together. The conversation goes beyond drills and sessions to unpack confidence, belonging, routine, and why rugby is uniquely placed to adapt without losing its essence.

From mash-ups with mainstream teams to national recognition and the ripple effect spreading across clubs and counties, this is a story about coaching with empathy, ambition, and belief. It is not about doing something “special,” but about making inclusion normal, visible, and lasting, and showing how rugby can genuinely be a sport for all.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1477604696958236/

https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/3830429

https://www.ukcoaching.org/news/uk-coaching-awards-winner-darren-rea-captures-hearts-with-‘katie-peel-haka’/

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In this Rugby Coach Weekly episode, Dan sits down with Emily Pratt, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the England Women’s U20s, to unpack the brand new U16 Foundational Athletic Development and U18 Athletic Development programmes reshaping the female pathway.

Emily explains how England Rugby is shifting the landscape for young female athletes. She and Dan explore:

• How potential is identified beyond “ready-made” athletes
• Why movement competency, aerobic fitness and training age matter more than lifting heavy
• The balance between school sport, club rugby, other commitments and recovery
• How to help girls build confidence around body image and training
• Why injury rehab should be seen as an opportunity rather than a setback
• How coaches can approach conversations around the menstrual cycle
• Why the entire development programme has been made freely available to all players, not just those in the pathway

Emily also emphasises that strength training is never about changing how girls look, but about helping them become fitter, faster, more resilient rugby players.

If you coach girls rugby — at club, school, college or county — this episode is packed with practical guidance, player-centred insights and a clear breakdown of what “good” athletic development looks like.

You can find the full programme, including videos and week-by-week sessions, on the England Rugby website:

This link is to the U16 Foundational athletic development section of the website 

https://www.englandrugby.com/play/parents-guardians/player-pathway/foundation-phase-girls-pathway#foundational-athletic-development-

The next link is specific to the U18 Athletic Development at PDG. 

https://www.englandrugby.com/play/parents-guardians/player-pathway/development-phase-girls-pathway#foundational-athletic-development-

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In this episode, Dan sits down with India Perris-Redding, one of the driving forces behind women and girls’ rugby in the North of England. Over nearly seven years with Sale Sharks Foundation, India has shaped a transformational pathway for girls’ rugby, from primary school beginners to academy-level athletes.

India shares the story behind Girls Tackle Rugby, the groundbreaking programme she built from scratch to bridge the gap between grassroots participation and the elite pathway. She talks candidly about overcoming school barriers, inspiring confidence in young players, designing game-based sessions that work, and the powerful role of female role models in helping girls see what’s possible.

We explore the challenges of introducing contact safely, the surprising findings from 18 months of research with Manchester Metropolitan University, and how simple, authentic human connection can unlock a girl’s belief that she can do this.

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In this Rugby Coach Weekly episode, Dan Cottrell sits down with Benny Williams, one of the leading voices shaping the girls’ and women’s game in England. As the Girls’ PDG Coach Lead for England Rugby, Benny oversees the national U18s curriculum, supports coach development, and helps identify the next generation of Red Roses.

Benny takes us inside the newly designed U16 and U18 curriculums, explaining how the RFU built a consistent, adaptable, and player-centred framework across the nine development centres. She unpacks key principles like playing to best space, ball and body always moving, and back in the game, and shares how coaches can help players develop adaptable, high-skill profiles that prepare them for future environments, from PWR to BUCS and beyond.

We explore:
• Why the RFU restructured the pathway and built a fresh curriculum
• What “highly skilled and adaptable” really means in practice
• How to use walking-through, scenario design, and manipulation to teach game understanding
• The role of IDPs and the GROW model in creating truly personalised development
• How clubs can use this framework to help more girls stay in the game and thrive

Find out more about the programmes here:

Foundational Athletic Development

Rugby Skills Development

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Head coach Dan Cottrell is joined by Russell McClusky and Phil Greenaway for a lively, practical chat drawn from years across schools, clubs, and university rugby. 

As hosts of the Little and Large Podcast, they bring a wealth of experience from their times as directors of sport and heads of games.

They tackle how to handle one-sided school fixtures without punishing your best players, why the referee’s feel for the game matters, and smart ways to bring parents with you. 

The trio dig into development versus performance mindsets, what to do when outside “experts” chime in, and how simplifying set piece detail can create immediate gains. 

Real examples include yellow card simulations, pre-game parent emails with three clear focuses, and a lineout fix that worked the very next match. If you coach minis to seniors, you will leave with ideas you can use on Saturday.

• What to try first: Simple constraints and clear goals for uneven games
• Where to invest: Off-ball organisation for quick wins
• How to align: Pre-match parent comms with three weekly focuses
• When it sticks: Simplify set-piece for speed over shape

You can contact them on the following emails:

Russell [email protected]

Phil  [email protected]

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How much talking is too much? In this episode, Dan Cottrell and Stuart James explore how coaches can make every word count. From the power of the short, purposeful chat to the art of explaining the how, what, and why in under a minute, they share practical ways to sharpen communication and boost player engagement.

Discover why the best sessions often start with fewer words, clearer intent, and more playing time — and how taking the “temperature” of your group can help you adapt what you say (and when you say it).

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In this episode of The 50:22 Podcast, Dan Cottrell and Stu James explore why focusing on perfect technique can hold players back. 

Instead of trying to tick off isolated skills, they discuss how layering, context, and repetition help players understand what to do and when to do it. 

The aim is to move from drills to decisions, from repetition to recognition. 

Learn how to guide players toward real game sense and long-term progress in every session.

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In this episode of the 50:22 Podcast, Dan Cottrell and Stuart James explore how to use stress as a coaching tool, not through shouting but through smart, purposeful challenge. Discover how the right kind of pressure helps players build resilience, sharpen decision-making, and raise their own standards. Learn simple ways to add competition, intensity, and mindset training into your sessions without losing calm, connection, or control.

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Ben Herring returns to the Rugby Coach Weekly Podcast to dive deeper into what he’s learned from speaking to some of the world’s top coaches. Drawing on his global coaching journey and his Coaching Culture podcast, Ben shares why grassroots rugby should focus on high care rather than high performance, why the 80% basics matter more than the 1% details, and how resilience and leadership can be actively coached.

This episode blends big lessons from names like Joe Schmidt, Steve Hansen and Mike Cron with practical takeaways you can use at club and school level.

✅ Key takeaways

• High care over high performance: Build environments that reflect what you, as a coach, truly care about.
• Focus on the 80%: Grassroots players need core skills done well, not the 1% “gold taps” of elite rugby.
• Delivery is everything: The best coaches make even the simplest drills engaging through presence, tone and standards.
• Coach resilience deliberately: Use structures, reviews and simple tools (like huddle blueprints) to build grit.
• Pressure as privilege: High-performance coaches often find joy in pressure – grassroots coaches can too, by reframing challenges as opportunities.

Listen to Ben's podcast here, and discover his books as well.

To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach Weekly

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Also, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!