GET RICH QUICK
Kiwis coach turns to rugby great
Kiwis coach Michael Maguire spent time with former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw last week, as part of his drive to develop the widest possible knowledge base, ahead of the upcoming international season.
Maguire is a highly experienced coach, with more than 150 NRL games under his belt, premierships with the Rabbitohs and Wigan and a coaching apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy at the Melbourne Storm.
But he is always looking to learn more, and picked up some nuggets from the rugby icon.
“You understand why guys like him have such great and long careers,” said Maguire. “It’s because they are willing to live the values and uphold them every day. That is what the great teams do.
“For the Kiwis to become great, we need to find the right people that want to follow that path, and be prepared to sacrifice and do the things needed to be the best team we can be.”
Maguire and McCaw were two of the speakers at a sports and leadership seminar last week, with 800 students from more than 70 New Zealand schools attending. They were on stage reflecting on their various journeys, before catching up afterwards to swap experiences. “I’ve been fortunate to deal with a lot of top players in my time but it was great to sit and listen to Richie talk about leadership,” said Maguire. “He was a leader that led by his actions, and did it consistently, every single day that was a great message for young kids.
“He worked hard at his game, worked hard at developing himself and you could see that in what he spoke about.
“From what his coaches have said, he probably wasn’t the most talented growing up, but it’s not always the most talented that go through; I’ve seen a lot of talented young players that didn’t have the drive.” After his time with McCaw, Maguire said the single biggest takeaway was his intense pride in the All Blacks and their legacy.
“Just seeing how passionate he was around the
jersey, and the drive and the character of the person that wanted to take them to the top,” said Maguire. “I see that a lot in the character of the guys going into the Kiwis jersey now.
“And now they have a great opportunity . . . a very similar opportunity to some of the things the union guys went through a few years ago, to get themselves to the highest of highs in international rugby. It’s how you come together as a group; the players took responsibility and Richie played a big part in bringing everything together.”
Aside from new assistant coaches Nathan Cayless and Stacey Jones, Maguire also revealed he has employed Daryl Halligan as a specialist skills coach.
“I’ve got a high regard for how he educates around his kicking and also his footy brain,” said Maguire. “He’s a guy that observes a lot of footy, through his other roles.”
That brains trust will be needed over the next month, as the Kiwis are bereft of significant playing experience through various retirements and injuries, especially the likes of Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino, Issac Luke and Roger TuivasaSheck.
“I don’t see it as daunting,” said Maguire, who hinted that a number of his squad would be drawn from tonight’s NRL grand final between the Roosters and Storm, with rookies such as Joseph Manu and Zane Tetevano forcing themselves into the frame in recent months.
“There are eight Kiwis playing in the grand final, potentially. If you are playing in a grand final, there are reasons why you are there, because you have sacrificed and wanted to perform at your best and win for the whole season. It is one of the highest quality games you can play and potentially at a similar intensity and feel to what test matches are.”
And while the Kangaroos play Papua New Guinea next Saturday, the Kiwis will head into their transtasman clash at Mt Smart Stadium on October 13 cold, without a build-up match.
The Kiwis are named tomorrow, before assembling in Auckland next Saturday.