Wind Yer Neck In

In episode 7 of 'Wind Yer Neck In' we welcome former British and Irish Lion, third most capped Irish player of all time and former captain and Ulster Rugby legend Rory Best to the show.  Rory starts by discussing his journey into professional rugby and how 2 years in Newcastle at university gave him the spark he needed to push on with his rugby career. Rory reflects on his time cutting his teeth at Irish club rugby level before he broke through to the Ulster Rugby set up and shortly after became the captain of the squad. Leadership and how it has developed is something Rory looks to analyse, discussing how he developed and how the culture of Ulster Rugby was challenged into better shape.  In line with this Rory talks about how Irish Rugby took a change and how influential Joe Schmidt was to that. Rory chats us through some of the highlights in his career Finally Rory explains how important the Lions are and what we might see this summer amidst the ongoing Covid situation. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 6 of 'Wind Yer Neck In'  we welcome Professor Damian Hughes to the show. Damian is the man behind many of the best sports psychology books out there like ‘The Barcelona Way’, ‘The Winning Mindset’, ‘Liquid Thinking,' He also doubles up as a Consultant for many elite level sports teams including previously working with the Scottish Rugby Union Team in the build up to the World cup in 2015 and also in Education roles and within the corporate world. A Professor of ‘Organisational Psychology and change’ at Manchester Met he has dedicated his life to understanding and exploring environments and cultures for which people and teams can most be successful. Damian allows us to explore many of the frameworks he has written about. One fo the things Damian and I discuss is the different types of culture long with what makes a good leader in these cultures. Damian reflects on how his life has been in High Performance and the people he has learnt from along the way.  As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 5 of 'Wind Yer Neck In'  we welcome one of the most iconic batsmen to have wielded a cricket bat in the modern era. AB De Villiers the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five 'Wisden' cricketers of the decade at the end of 2019. AB starts by allowing us to journey back to his upbringing in South Africa and how his early years formed by battling it out in the garden with his brothers began the journey to becoming one of the most iconic batsmen to play the game. AB reflects on how his brothers drove him to respect every opportunity he got and fight to mix it with the older boys. AB then praises how his school time at 'Affies' a prestigious sporting school in Pretoria  created an environment for him to flourish and excel in many sports. AB looks back to his decision to retire from International cricket and how burned out he was feeling at the time. To conclude AB looks at the balance he has now, his drive to play being as strong as ever and how he enjoys the IPL (Indian Premier League) with some of the best fans in the world! As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 4 of 'Wind Yer Neck In'  we welcome current Munster Rugby head coach Johann Van Graan to the show. Johann shares how his Munster Rugby team have navigated Covid and how the season has gone so far. Johann reflects on his untraditional journey into coaching and how the people he worked with gave him opportunities he is grateful for. Johann looks back at his time at his beloved Blue Bulls in South Africa before he moved into a role with the Springbok National team which was a dream come true for him.  Johann talks passionately about how his Springbok journey went and the memories he made. Finally we move to Johann discussing how the move to Munster came about and how he has been in awe of what a community Munster Rugby is and why it is such a special, high performing place. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 3 of 'Wind Yer Neck In'  we welcome Ulster Rugby Club Captain, Irish International and British and Irish Lion, Iain Henderson to the show. Iain talks about his upbringing and how his school and club helped form great habits which he would lean on as he entered and began to excel in professional rugby. Iain reflects on the difficult introduction to professional rugby  and how that steep learning curve moulded him into becoming a force within Irish and European Rugby. Iain chats about early experiences in Irish camp as a young man and where and what he was doing when he found out he was selected to go on the British and Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand in 2017. Iain looks back at how he has had to deal with injuries and what his mentality is like to get back on the pitch. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 2 of 'Wind Yer Neck In'  we welcome Dawid Malan fresh off back off leading the English Twenty20 Cricket team to a 3-0 series win over South Africa which also cemented their place as the number 1 ranked team in this format. Dawid had a 'Man of the Match' display in game two followed by a record breaking partnership in which he scored 99 runs not out in game three. Throughout the episode Dawid allows us to discuss his journey into international cricket beginning with the culture shock of moving from South Africa to England as a young man. Dawid reflects on his rise through the Middlesex ranks and his England Debut. Dawid reveals the true intricacies of facing long spells in the crease and how he prepares to face some of the most devastating bowlers to have played the sport. How does analysis fit into Dawid's preparation and what changes did he need to make to finally shift his career the direction he wanted.  Amazing insight from a man who is at the top of his sport at this current moment. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 1 of 'Wind Yer Neck In'  Season 2, we welcome Scotland Rugby Union International and Worcester Warriors Out-half Duncan Weir to the show! Duncan starts off by providing insight into what goes on in Scotland camp during the Covid-19 pandemic and how the lads are keeping busy. Duncan looks back to his early years as a keen Rangers Football fan and at which point rugby became the path he would pursue. Duncan reflects on what it was like to burst onto the Professional Rugby scene at a young age and play for his hometown club Glasgow Warriors. Duncan then assesses the challenge presented when he is asked to leave Glasgow and instead join their bitter rivals Edinburgh in order to keep his international career alive. Injuries ensure this is not a comfortable period and Duncan then considers how his move to Worcester Warriors creates an opportunity to play regularly and reflects on how it felt to make his first international cap in 3 years. Duncan also talks about how he wants to give back and is helping raise funds for 'Acorns Children's Hospice' in this difficult time. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In this BONUS episode of 'Wind Yer Neck In' we get an exclusive chat with the man who has brought a new proposal to English Rugby. In this chat Ed outlines in great detail some of the areas of his proposal to revamp the The Championship (the second tier competition in English Rugby) as we know it, into The English Championship (TEC) moving forward. Ed explains how changes to Player Welfare, Academies, Independent Governance and the Finances in the proposal would work. Most importantly Ed explains why this could be seen as a big step in the right direction for a league that is on its knees. This is an exclusive interview, where Ed shares all about what has been proposed and how it has gone so far in unheard detail. We hope you guys enjoy!! As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of the sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!

In episode 20 of 'Wind Yer Neck In' we welcome “the Lion King”, Willie John Mcbride to the show. Willie John is one of the most iconic Rugby Union Players to have played the great game and a few months after his 80th birthday we welcome the legend on for a chat.
Willie John discusses early life and a rapid rise into rugby from being a farmer and having to prioritise work when tragedy hit home. Willie John reflects on how the call up to the Lions touring squad came only 4 years after starting to play the sport and how the experience benefited him. Willie John moves through the tours discussing what experience he picked up and in 1971 when the Lions enjoyed an outright test series win over The All Blacks and how that shifted the mentality of the Lions going forward. We get the chance to review Willie John's experience of being named as captain for the 1974 Lions tour of South Africa and what it was like to be part of the team labelled since, "The Invincible's."
The "Invincible's" went unbeaten in 22 games in South Africa and Willie John gets the chance to appreciate some of the players he shared a team with. 
Finally, Willie John analyses what it is to be a great leader and what characteristics stand out in someone who acts accordingly. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!   

In episode 19 of 'Wind Yer Neck In', we welcome former teammate and close friend Jonny Arr to the show. Jonny starts our discussion at the beginning of his long and illustrious career with Worcester Warriors and Worcester RFC. Starting as an under 8, Jonny reflects on his long-term association with Worcester Rugby, which included a 12 year professional career with Worcester Warriors. Jonny reveals some of the highs and some of the lows that came with that longstanding relationship. From injuries and social media haters to testimonials and big wins, Jonny’s passion for the club can never be questioned and he reviews how he felt when that journey came to an end. A trip into the semi-professional world was next for Jonny with Moseley RFC and he describes that experience, as well as the point at which he knew he was going to hang up the boots for good. Jonny talks about how the transition from professional player to professional career can be portrayed and how he would like to see that mindset change. Finally Jonny describes what gets him out of bed every morning now and how much satisfaction he gets in his new line of work. As always, we hope you enjoy this chat with one of sport's biggest characters. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@WindYerNeck_In) and Instagram (windyerneck.in)!