Michael Baska is a US Eagle who, this year, has played against Ireland, England and the All Blacks. But for most of his career he has been a back up player. Constantly being overlooked by coaches and struggling at times to get a contract. Baska talks about the mindset, determination and work ethic he had to keep following his dream of becoming a US Eagle no matter what setbacks he faced.

We also chat about,

• How it felt playing the All Blacks in DC.
• Why he switched from American football to playing rugby .
• Getting a scholarship to play collegiate rugby.
• Having a beginners mindset & the importance of always learning
• Why he always wanting to be outside of his comfort zone.
• How he got his break in the MLR.
• Mistakes he has made when negotiating contracts.  
• How he believed in himself when few others did. 
• Mindset and work ethic that enabled him to become a US Eagle when he had recently been struggling to get a contract.
• How coaches can have most impact on players.
• A huge risk he’s currently taking by walking away from a contract.

You can find Michael on instagram @michaelbaska - https://www.instagram.com/michaelbaska/

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby. Please follow me there and let me know any thoughts or feedback you have for the pod.

If you enjoyed the podcast, please send it to a friend and leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts if that's where you're listening.

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Mike Ruddock is a Grand Slam winning coach. 

Throughout his 35 year career he built a reputation for turning around underperforming teams into unlikely champions. When he took over at Wales they had lost 10 games in a row, and he won a Slam in his first full season. We chat about this, and Mike shares his practices and learnings from a 35 year coaching career. 

We also talk about;

• The best way for you to get coaching jobs in rugby.
• What he did to turn the Ospreys around, from bottom to challenging for top.
• Advice for young coaches today.
• How to know when your team will peak, and what to do to keep them there.
• Beating himself up as a young coach
• Giving Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan and Leo Cullen their first contracts.
• What he would have done differently as Leinster Coach.
• What coaches today are getting wrong.
• How you can inspire losing teams to believe in themselves.
• Building a winning culture in teams.
• Striking the balance as a coach between being empathetic and driving players hard.
• What he would do differently if he was starting out again.

Link to join The 1st XV Patreon & get extra podcasts

https://www.patreon.com/offfieldrugby

Link to Support the Pod

https://www.patreon.com/offfieldrugby

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

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Today I chat with Mack Carson, who is a Canadian international, and has been playing in the Allianz Premier 15s for the past couple of seasons, firstly with Bristol and more recently Saracens. I’m currently coaching Mack as she is back in UBC for a semester to finish her degree, before going back to Saracens in January.

We chat about what it’s like to play with one of the top teams in the Allianz Premier 15s, which is the most professional women’s league in the world.

We also talk about;

• How she started playing rugby in BC, playing u18s aged 12.
• How her move to the Allianz Premier 15s came about.
• Balancing school and playing rugby full time.
• How the Allianz Premier 15s has moved from amateur to semi-pro.
• What it’s like playing for Bristol and Saracens.
• Advice she would give a North American girls thinking of going to England to play.
• Why it’s more important for women, than men, to balance life outside of rugby.
• How much women in Canada have to pay to represent their province/country.
• WXV, the new women’s international global competition.
• The impact rugby and injuries has on mental health.

You can find Mack on instagram @mackcarson11

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

If you enjoyed the chat please send it to some friends, or share it in a WhatsApp group.

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Today I chat with Rugby Bricks Founder Pete Breen.

Pete is a former ITM Cup player, having represented Otago and Northland. Since retiring from the game he has founded Rugby Bricks, which has over 143k followers on instagram and developed the @rugbybricks kicking tees, which are used by some of the best players in the world. On @rugbybricks insta he coaches skills, and sometimes does so with All Blacks. He is also a coach with the Melbourne Storm in the NRL and until very recently the Australian Women’s rugby union team. We chat about all of this, as well as;

• What he learned from Japan coach Tony Brown.
• Best advice he got as a fly half.
• How he became a more effective coach at the international level.
• How you can get more distance on your kicks.
• How to be a more accurate goal kicker.
• Kicking in aussie rules, rugby league and union. What can be learned from each.
• The story behind why he started Rugby Bricks.
• Growing Rugby Bricks from day 1 to today.
• How he got more engagement on his content.
• Dealing with imposter syndrome.
• What he does to switch off from the person we see on screen.

https://rugbybricks.com/

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you sent it to some friends and left a review on Apple Podcasts.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

Really appreciate you clicking in, cheers!

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Today I chat with rugby agent Tom Beattie, who is the founder of TDB Sports. 

We talk about;

• What he does to maximize players earnings.
• How agents get paid in rugby.
• How he got started as an agent.
• The British & Irish Lions coach that mentored him.
• How transfer dealings with club work, and the impact Covid had.
• The RFU requirements to being an agent, and representing players in England.
• What he does when a player doesn't settle in a club. 
• CVC and his thoughts on outside investments into rugby.

If you’ve any feedback for the podcast please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or send me a DM on instagram - The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories. If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

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Today I chat with England Rugby’s Head Nutritionist Dr Graeme Close.

Graeme is also the Head of Nutrition on the European Tour of Golf, a Professor of Human Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University and has worked in Premier League Soccer. He is also a former professional rugby league player.

We talk about;

• What it’s like working for Eddie Jones and the English Rugby (RFU) environment.
• If alcohol has a place at the top level in the modern game.
• How to fuel your body in the lead up to matches.
• What to do if you feel you can’t eat before games.
• His opinions on the vegan / plant based diet and how it affects performance in rugby.
• Best overall supplement for rugby players.
• Best pre-workout / pre match supplement.
• His opinion on whether rugby players should be allowed to smoke weed.
• His research into CBD.
• WADA loopholes that allow rugby players to take banned substances.
• How to gain weight.
• Biggest mistakes rugby players make around nutrition.

You can find Graeme on instagram @closenutrition

https://www.closenutrition.com/

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

Really appreciate you clicking in, cheers!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I chat with Connacht Rugby player Tom Daly.

Tom was in the recent Ireland squad and is playing the best rugby of his life recently, but he was very close to walking away from pro rugby a couple of years ago because things just didn’t seem to be working out. We chat about that time and also,

• Why his time at Leinster didn’t work out.
• The point of difference he feels he has, that got him into the Ireland squad.
• How it felt getting selected for the Ireland squad, but then not getting capped.
• He he would have done differently if he had his time back with Leinster.
• Balancing a physiotherapy degree with playing pro rugby.
• The type of business he would like to open when he hangs up the boots.
• Why he changed agents recently.
• The Irish international that is mentoring him.
• Impact crowds have on players and referees.
• Most enjoyable part of the week for him as a pro rugby player.

You can find Tom on instagram @thomasdaly12

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

Really appreciate you clicking in, cheers!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I chat with Clare Sadler, who is the USA Men’s Sevens Mental Skills Coach.

Clare has previously worked with England Rugby, top level football teams and the Premier League. She is also an executive coach to business leaders, a coach developer and a therapist.

We talk about;

• How your beliefs and assumptions dictate what you are capable of.
• How your personal biases can hold you back.
• How to access the FLOW State.
• What you can do to recover quicker from injury, both mentally and physically.
• How to speed up, or slow down, your nervous system to aid performance and wellbeing.
• How to use breath work to shift your state and aid recovery.
• How focusing your attention helps performance and how you can improve yours.
• How to learn quicker and more effectively.
• How sleep affects performance.
• What we can learn from the army to improve training.
• Difference between coaching men and women.

Clare founded the company Beyond Instinct www.beyondinstinct.com , and you can get in touch with her at [email protected]

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

Really appreciate you clicking in, cheers!

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Matai Leuta has played for the USA Sevens since early 2015, he was at the recent Olympics and has been capped 4 times for the USA Eagles in 15s.

Matai talks about,

• The day Mike Friday sat him down and told him his attitude needed to change.
• What it was like growing up in Fiji 
• How he knew at age 7/8 what his life’s purpose was and how he pursued it from that day.
• The obstacles he had to overcome to pursue his goal and become an International Sevens player.
• How taxing sevens is and the mindset you need to stay at the top.
• A typical training day with the USA Sevens.
• How he gets balance in his life and avoids burnout.
• How it felt missing out on Rio 2016, and getting to Tokyo 2021
• The lessons he learned from failure at the Olympics and how he is moving forward.
• How the USA Sevens have built The Dawgs
• What you can do to build trust among teammates on the field.
• How he deals with high pressurized situations in matches.

You can find Matai on instagram @muhfly

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

Really appreciate you clicking in, cheers!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I chat with Saracens player, and Wales international, Georgia Evans.

This week 123 Wales international players started a petition to call on the Welsh Rugby Union to implement women’s performance pathways in the country. We talk about that, what the current pathway (or lack of one) is like in Wales and what potentially could be done to improve it.

We also talk about;

• How it feels playing for the Welsh national team
• Why Georgia decided to move to Saracens
• Finances around the Allianz Premier 15s league, and how Saracens players get paid
• The training schedule in Saracens
• Balancing work, while playing elite level rugby and training like a professional 
• The facilities, backroom team and support the Saracens women have
• Nutrition, and how its different for different player
• What travel is like in the Allianz Premier 15s
• Long term goals, and plans after rugby
• Reflect on last seasons 6 Nations
• Why Georgia switched from playing netball to rugby as a teenager.

You can find Georgia on instagram @georgiaemilyyx

My instagram is The Off Field Rugby Coach @offfieldrugby, any feedback you have or thoughts for the pod, please DM me there, would love to hear them.

Thanks to all the people sharing the podcast on their instagram stories (I put a post out for each pod). If you enjoyed the chat, I would be grateful if you also shared the pod and sent it to some friends.

Please subscribe/follow the podcast wherever you’re listening.

Really appreciate you clicking in, cheers!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.