When Coaching Goes Wrong
by The Contact Coach
In the When Coaching Goes Wrong podcast, I am joined by coaches from all sports ranging from current professionals to the grassroots level. All these coaches share something in common- they have experienced failure. This ranges from not managing individuals within a group correctly, applying the wrong type of training methods to the detriment of results, having a winning-at-all-costs mentality, or the many other unpredictable factors that are present in a dynamic and ever-changing coaching environment. The guests show vulnerability, and self-awareness when sharing how they came through these struggles and importantly lessons they learned. These lessons can be used to normalize failure as part of the coaching journey, illuminate any blind spots coaches might have, and overall provide hints, tips, and ideas on how coaches can reflect on their current coaching practices to ensure they are creating an excellent sporting environment for
Episodes
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I'd Been a Fake For Six Games at the Peak of My Rugby Career | Bob McKillop
When Bob McKillop, my former coach, agreed to sit down with me, I knew we were about to embark on a discussion that would transcend the boundaries of rugby. Enjoy the show! 0:03 Player Coaching 6:35 Challenges and Success in Coaching 11:06 The Importance of Communication in Leadership 17:41...
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What Does That Say About Me As a Rugby Coach? | Stephen Dowse
This episode is with Stephen Dowse, Director of Rugby at Hong Kong Football Club. He opens up about nurturing talent across all levels, aligning multiple teams under the club's ethos, and cultivating a culture where elite and community players thrive side by side. Authenticity and credibility lie...
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It Was Tunnel Vision Towards Rugby Championships | Rama Chand
Ever wondered how a nation forges its way from the ranks of tier-two rugby to the pinnacle of tier-one? That's exactly what we're unpacking with Rama Chand, the Georgian Rugby Union's Director of Rugby Development. Through an enlightening dialogue, we reflect on his international journey and...
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We Were Not Aligned In Our Rugby Coaching | Richie Williams
In this episode, I am joined by Richie Williams, Director of Rugby at Cambridge Rugby Club in England. Richie has coached across Europe and shares great wisdom from the lessons that he has learned. As we unpack the complexities of leading a club like Cambridge Rugby, Richie imparts the lessons...
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A Regret Was Not Selecting Her For The Rugby Olympics | Chris Brown
Discover the transformative journey of Chris Brown, a coach whose expertise has spanned continents. In a revealing look behind the scenes, Chris recounts his path from a strength and conditioning coach to taking the helm of the USA Women's Sevens team. His stories are a trove of lessons on...
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I Said to The Boys, I Let You Down As a Rugby Coach | Riki Tahere
Unlock the secrets to transformative coaching with Riki Tahere, who charts a course from the culinary arts to spearheading rugby talent growth at Canterbury Rugby Union. Our discussion reveals the surprising parallels between a chef's precision and a rugby coach’s strategic acumen. We share a…
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It Would Be Easy To Just Down Tools as a Rugby Coach | Chris Davies
Chris is a highly experienced coach and has done it all from grassroots through to coaching the Fijian National 7s team. His latest role is coaching is with the Poland national team in their quest to climb the world rankings. I’ve had the great pleasure of working alongside Chris at the Hong Kong...
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Fail Smart and Fail Fast as a Rugby Coach | Riaan Van Straten
Riaan Van Straten was a great guest for the first-ever When Coaching Goes Wrong podcast. Riaan discusses how failure has helped shape his coaching and the tools that he uses to turn failures into a positive. Riaan played professionally and has been working in coaching and rugby development for…
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Rugby Cocaching Success is Built Upon a Pile of Failures
Luke is a Welsh coach who is now living in America and has a wealth of experience in both rugby and S&C coaching. Luke began his rugby coaching career after gaining his BSc in Exercise Science and eventually coached for the WRU. Following this, he changed his focus and moved to America to achieve…
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#25 Andrew Kean: Why Pursue a Rugby Scholarships in the USA?
This is a must-listen for those that want to play collegiate rugby in the United States! Andrew Kean, the Chief Executive of FirstPoint USA, has firsthand experience of collegiate sports in the United States as we played soccer at the University of Cincinnati on scholarship. Now he is helping...
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#24 Dallen Stanford: Behind The Scenes of a World Rugby Commentator
It is a pleasure to share wisdom from one of North America's standout characters, Dallen Stanford. He represented USA 7s and is now a leading figure in the commentary world covering international XV, World 7s Series and Major League Rugby. Commentating on a match is much more than it seems, so…
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David Campese, Wallabies Rugby Legend
On this Rugby Wisdom Podcast, I am joined by one of the most iconic rugby players the game has ever seen, David 'Campo' Campese. Campo is very engaging and insightful as we discuss the state of the game both within Australia and World Rugby in general. David Campese 11 Academy...
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#22: Andy Ellis, All Blacks, Crusaders & Kobe Steelers
On this Rugby Wisdom Podcast, I am joined by All Black and World Cup winner, Andy Ellis. Andy's illustrious career to date has seen him play for the Crusaders 150 times, winning two Super Rugby championships. Most recently, Andy has been in Japan playing for Kobe Steelers before COVID brought an...
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#21: Greg McWilliams, Rugby United New York Head Coach & USA Attack Coach
I am joined by Greg McWilliams, who has built an extensive resume in both community and performance rugby environments. In this conversation, Greg shares his thoughts on how exposure to these different environments has helped shape him as a coach today. Greg has coached in the highly-regarded…
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#20: Vlok Cilliers, French National Team Kicking Coach
I am joined by one of the leading kicking coaches in the world, Vlok Cillers. Vlok breaks down the technicalities of kicking and covers important training aspects to improve accuracy. As a player, Vlok played for Western Province and is a capped Springbok (vs New Zealand, 1996). As a coach, Vlok...
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#19: Brian Ashton MBE, Former England & Bath Head Coach and Mentor to Premier League Coaches
On this show, I am joined by Brian Ashton MBE. Brian is revered as being one of the most forward-thinking coaches in the game. His coaching career has seen him lead Bath, Ireland, and England. He also built England Rugby’s academy that has created a stream of world-class players. Outside of…
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#18: Jason Ryan, Crusaders Forwards Coach
I am joined by Jason Ryan, the Crusaders Forwards Coach. Jason shares his wisdom on how to build a dominant scrum. Jason has also worked as the forwards for the Canterbury provincial team for five years, initially as a Scrum Coach, and then as an Assistant Coach in 2015 and 2016. He also has...
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#17: Sir Ian McGeechan,: British & Irish Lions, Scotland and Wasps
Sir Ian McGeechan won thirty-two caps, playing at fly-half and centre, and captained the team nine times. Sir Ian, as a player, toured with the British and Irish Lions in both 1974 and 1977. Sir Ian was the British and Irish Lions Head Coach in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009. In 2005 he coached the...
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#16: Conor O'Shea, England Rugby Director of Performance & former Italy, Harlequins and London Irish Head Coach
Be part of The Contact Coach community and receive my latest analysis and bonus-content podcasts direct to your inbox! Take 10 seconds to add your email address here. On this Rugby Wisdom in 3, I am joined by Conor O'Shea. As a rugby player, Conor represented London Irish 127 times and was capped...
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#15: Robbie Deans, Crusaders Head Coach (7 x Super Rugby Winner), Australia & Panasonic Wild Knights
On this #rw3, I am joined by Robbie Deans. Robbie provides advice on how to set a team up for success. Robbie has so much wisdom to give that I broke my own rule and published the full 6 minutes! It's worth it. As a player, Robbie is an All Black and also represented Canterbury on 145 occasions.…
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#14:, Gary Gold, USA Head Coach
On this RW3, I am joined by Gary Gold, USA Head Coach. Gary shares his wisdom on the environments that have helped influence how he coaches today. He discusses his time at London Irish working under Brendan Venter in his first professional environment and also the bonds made at Newcastle Falcons,...
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#13: Blaine Scully, USA Captain, Leicester Tigers & Cardiff Blues
In this #RW3 show, I am joined by Blaine Scully. Blaine shares his experiences from playing at three Rugby World Cups and his evolution as a leader. Blaine was capped 54 times by the USA, and captained his country to two Americas Rugby Championships and also led his country to 2019 World Cup in...
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#12: Nathan Grey, Australia Defense Coach, Super Rugby Winner (Coach, 2014) & Australia (35 Caps)
In this #rw3 show, I am joined by Nathan Grey. Nathan shares his wisdom on the tackle technique. He breaks down what he feels are the main components for making a successful tackle. Nathan is a 35 capped Wallaby and during this time won the World Cup in 1999. Domestically, he played 94 times for...
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#11: Ben Ryan, Fiji 7s Olympic Gold Medal Coach & Founder of Sleepandwater
In this #RW3 show, Ben Ryan shares his wisdom on how he uses other sports and groups to unleash peak performance in Rugby. Ben was the longest-serving England 7s coach with 58 tournaments. In 2015, Ben became Head Coach of Fiji and soon became their most decorated coach of all time with...
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#10: Mat Turner, Seattle Seawolves & England 7s
In this #RW3 show, Mat shares what it is like to play professional rugby in the United States and why it has an exciting future. Mat has been a professional player for 12 years and has represented England 7s at 34 World Sevens Series Tournaments, scoring 92 tries. More recently, Mat has played…
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#9: Peter Breen, Founder of Rugby Bricks & Australia Women's Coach
In this show, Peter provides a fascinating insight into kicking and the importance it has in the modern-day game. Peter Breen is the founder of Rugby Bricks and the coach of Australia Wallaroos. Peter was also a fly-half for Otago in his playing days. Rugby Bricks is one of the leading online...
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#8: Frankie Horne, South Africa 7s Legend
Frankie played an incredible 68 Sevens World Series tournaments consecutively. In this show, Frankie shares what happened behind the scenes and discussed the people that helped along the way. Frankie is now the Head of 7s at the Stellenbosh Rugby Academy and helps nurture the next crop of...
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#7: Kane Jury, Skills Coach, Pulse Energy Highlanders (Super Rugby)
In this show, Kane shares his wisdom on skill development and the importance of not getting too far away from the repetition of the basics. Kane is in a unique position as on a daily basis, he is responsible for finding and nurturing the best prospects within New Zealand and preparing those…
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#6: Alycia Washington: USA Eagle, Barbarian and Yale University Coach
Alycia was told in 2014 that she was too small and not fit enough. She used that as motivation to prove those doubters wrong. Alycia Washington currently has 22 caps for the United States and reached a World Cup Semi-final in 2017. She has also represented the infamous Barbarians, defeating Wales...
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#5: Steve Lewis, Two-Time USA Rugby Coach of the Year
Can you share some valuable lessons you learned from these experiences? Key theme- connection Steve has an incredible coaching journey and has been involved at all levels of the game. He is a two-time USA Rugby Coach of the Year and holds a level 400 coaching qualification. Steve has won a…
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#4: Tiffany Faaee, Head Coach, Monroe College Men's and Women's
Tiffany shares 3 snippets of great advice for players that are about to transition to coaching. Tiffany, in the space of a few months, went from captaining her country, USA, to a World Cup semi-final in 2017 to coaching in a US college. Her insight is fascinating. Tiffany is passionate about...
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#3: Ian Gibbons, Head of Performance, San Diego Legion
Ian, a widely respected S&C coach in the rugby world shares what a week can look like to ensure a team is peaking for game day. The most important day of all! Ian, a former professional player in the English premiership as worked under some of the best coaches in the world, including Eddie Jones...
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#2: Ryszard Chadwick, World Rugby Coach Educator
In this episode, Ryszard shares 5 key points that coaches can use to develop their craft. Rys is known for thinking deeply about coaching pedagogy. Rys is still only in his late twenties but has amassed a wide arrange of experiences that he uses not only in his own coaching, but to help other...
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#1: Josh Macy, Head Coach, Lindenwood University (USA)
One of the most influential coaches in the US Collegiate game (5 x national champion!) shares an early story that shapes every environment he now leads. It's the ultimate story of putting the team first in a setting you would not suspect! Josh also shares how the book 'Talking to Strangers' by...
About this show
In the When Coaching Goes Wrong podcast, I am joined by coaches from all sports ranging from current professionals to the grassroots level. All these coaches share something in common- they have experienced failure. This ranges from not managing individuals within a group correctly, applying the wrong type of training methods to the detriment of results, having a winning-at-all-costs mentality, or the many other unpredictable factors that are present in a dynamic and ever-changing coaching environment.
The guests show vulnerability, and self-awareness when sharing how they came through these struggles and importantly lessons they learned. These lessons can be used to normalize failure as part of the coaching journey, illuminate any blind spots coaches might have, and overall provide hints, tips, and ideas on how coaches can reflect on their current coaching practices to ensure they are creating an excellent sporting environment for
Hosted by
The Contact Coach