Brad Cooper currently serves as the assistant coach for the Taranaki Bulls, who secured victory in the NPC in 2023. Additionally, he has recently been appointed as the coach for the New Zealand U20 Men's rugby team and is also the Coach Development Manager at Taranaki Rugby. Coops has come through the coaching ranks, gaining experience coaching club, representative, and secondary school teams.

I have got to know Coops well over the past few years with the work I have done with Taranaki Rugby. He's a real good bugger - humble, hard working, open to learning. It's always good to share notes and learn from him. It has been so awesome seeing a man of his character climb through the coaching ranks. 

We yarned about: 

• The Taranaki Bulls winning season - 'Creating Memorable Experiences'
• Differences coaching adults v youth
• His NZ U20 role
• Coach Development 
• And more....

Taranaki Rugby have been in partnership with the IntaSport coaching app since 2022. They're 'inta' sport - Are you? Click here for more details: https://www.intasport.org/

Meet Mike Hester, the Participation Development Manager at New Zealand Rugby, tasked with the pivotal role of evolving the game to sustain interest and involvement in rugby. Balancing the weight of tradition with the evolving needs of today's youth and society, Mike faces the challenge head-on, charting a course for the sport's future.

In our yarn, Mike peels back the layers, revealing the reasoning behind some of New
Zealand Rugby's decisions around game modifications. As coaches and
administrators, we often lack this crucial insight into the 'why' behind the
changes. This yarn sheds light on the rationale behind modifications aimed at
boosting engagement. I, for one, am a fan of adaptations that help increase
engagement and joy in rugby / sport. I hope this discussion offers invaluable
clarity to fellow enthusiasts in the rugby and indeed sporting community.

 We discussed: 

• His role and why it exists
• Changes to tackle height and the outcomes
• Changes to Small Blacks rugby including 10 aside for U11s and future changes that are coming.
• And more…

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it.

This yarn with Sean Graham is a great listen for leaders in the youth sports arena seeking innovative strategies to captivate and involve young athletes in the world of sports. Sean is Director of Rugby at St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Queensland, Australia. Picture this: 800 boys, 40 teams, and 100 coaches—talk about a big scale rugby operation! Sean oversees the programme, breathing fun, connection and development for everyone. 

Sean’s has also masterminded the Youth Rugby Coaches Forum, an annual event (mark your calendars for January 19th and 20th, 2024) aimed at supercharging the youth game. What started as a spark of an idea has now become a gathering of 250 rugby coaches, and a swag of presenters, all set on making the game stronger.

We talk about:

• The joys and challenges of leading a programme of this scale
• How Nudgee manages to engage so many teenage rugby players
• The Youth Rugby Coaches Forum
• And more…

Cheers Grimley

Here is a LINK to Youth Rugby Coaching Forum

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download.

Ray Everest served as the Weightlifting coach for New Zealand at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, transitioning into the sport after falling into it while living in Doha. A former school teacher turned principal at the age of 26, Ray and his wife Courtney, established the Future Focus Early Childhood Centre, which has now expanded to 5 Centres, employing approximately 80 staff in the Papamoa region. 

Connecting with Ray is always a pleasure due to his remarkable growth mindset. As a deep thinker, avid learner, and profoundly reflective individual, he consistently rides the growth train. Ray's insights are valuable for both coaches and individuals in the business world, showcasing how he has successfully applied his learning to excel in sports, business, and family life. All while being a hardcore Warriors fan throughout – Up the Wahs.

We discussed: 

• Weightlifting coaching – navigating the path in a new sport, the coach's role, and the dynamics of individual versus team sports.
• Setting people up to cope
• Starting a business and scaling it – getting big but staying small. 
• Leadership – guiding people through the journey, adapting, and fostering personal and collective growth.
• And more…

“Does our environment reflect out aspiration?”

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE.

Kane Jury serves as the Talent Development Manager at the Highlanders Super Rugby franchise, where he is responsible for overseeing talent identification, recruitment, and the development of the academy program. Additionally, he recently completed his second year as the head coach of the NZ Secondary Schools Boys rugby team. Prior to this, he coached various teams, including the Fiji Men’s 7s, Black Ferns Development 7s, and Otago Spirit, among others. Kane also gained experience in club rugby and held positions as Director of Rugby and Sports Coordinator at Kings High School in Dunedin.

My connection with Kane dates back to our time as Scarfies in the early 2000s, and more recently, we reconnected in the coach development space, particularly in rugby 7s. Kane exhibits a deep passion for the development of young individuals and is committed to providing enriching experiences for aspiring athletes.

Reconnecting with Kane was a pleasure, and our conversation delved into various topics related to the post-school space. We discussed:

• His responsibilities at the Highlanders.
• Insights and lessons from his two-year tenure in the NZSS role, with a focus on bringing themes to life.
• His experiences coaching the Fijian Men’s 7s team, including some noteworthy anecdotes.
• And more.

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE. 

Pablo is the Mental Skills and Skills Coach for the Yacare XV who play in the Super Rugby Americas League. He also coaches the Paraguay Women's 7's team on their quest to make the HSBC World Series. 

We have connected over the past few years, after first meeting in New Zealand. He has an exceptional thirst for knowledge and amazing growth mindset. He puts his 'heart on the plate' in a truly authentic manner to connect with people around him. 

I particularly loved his take on 'brain friendly sessions' and how our survival instinct relies on connection with other people. It's a timely reminder to invest time into environments that foster human connection, especially in a world where connection is often digitalised. 

We chatted about: 

• Brain Friendly Sessions - safe, curiosity, humour, surprise, emotions. 
• The power of humour / laughing. 
• Building identity.
• Authenticity, vulnerability.
• And more...

Find or connect with Pablo on instagram HERE

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE. 

Russell (Rusty) Earnshaw is a world leader in the coaching / coach development space. He is a former professional rugby player, representing many clubs and teams including Bath and England 7's. He later went on to coach the England 7's, England U18's and U20's rugby teams.

He is the co-founder of The Magic Academy (www.themagicacademy.co.uk) and currently consults for a number of teams and sporting organisations. He is deeply passionate about coaching, people and sport and is doing hit bit to move things forward. "Help people to help themselves."

A quote from his website - "I like Russell Earnshaw, he treads a fine line between genius and nutcase." He is an innovative thinker who thrives on changing the game and predicting the future. The backs of my ears and stomach muscles hurt after talking with Rusty, due to all the laughing. It was so much fun. 

We chatted about: 

• How to foster an environment of ownership (and why).
• How to develop 'skillful, adaptable players.' 
• Gamification / Video Game Design in the sporting context. 
• Much more...

Find Rusty at The Magic Academy or on Twitter.

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE. 

Michael Magriplis (affectionally known as Grips) is Head of Community Coaching at Rugby Australia. He oversees the direction of coaching in Australia in collaboration with the 8 Members Unions.

He is on a mission where all players get a quality coaching experiences, where there is the right training, right environment and right support. He is big on game-based coaching and is heading the direction of coaching in Australia down an innovative, exciting path.

He was the first person to highlight to me the '3 steps of coaching' (listen to find out more) and inspired this following blog Keep it REAL - Realistic, Enjoyable, Active, Learning, which is a great acronym for coaches of all levels to nail.

IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig -  IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE. 

Charissa Barham (affectionally known as Reecy) has approximately 30 years coaching experience across many levels, including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball team. She is deeply passionate about youth sport and enabling youth / player voice to help frame their experience. A lot of coaches value player-centered approaches, where Reecy has a tangible and sustainable way of bringing this approach to life to become the heart-beat of teams she coaches. 

Reecy is currently a Sport Consultant for Sport New Zealand, where she works with Regional and National sporting organisations to help foster quality sporting experiences that meet the needs and motivations of young people. It's always a pleasure connecting with Reecy, where there are plenty of laughs, D&M's and poems / raps. We yarned about...

• A life of service through coaching.
• The joys and complexities of coaching teenagers. 
• How to use player voice to frame a season - tangible examples of engaging and implementing.
• Building leadership in young people.
• Her role as a Sport Consultant for Sport NZ.
• And more...

Nigel Hotham has been the mastermind behind Hamilton Boys High School Rugby, Touch and 7s programmes for the past 20 years. There is not likely a school or coach in the country (maybe the world) who has tasted as much success as in the Secondary School space. To list the number of National titles would fill this entire blurb. 

He is a humble man who has given a good 3 decades of service to young men, not only in sport, but with his role as Deputy Principal. It was great talking with Nigel to unpack why there has been so much success at Hamilton Boys and how he has managed to stay motivated and excited to coach young men over that time. 

We chatted about: 

• His coaching journey
• Ideas to bring successful on-field results
• How his coaching approach has changed over the years
• What he is currently seeing with teenagers of this era
• How he connects with individuals within a team sport
• When to give 10 jabs v a slap in the face (FYI - this is a metaphor)
• And more