Boa Athu World Rugby influencer
A Sri Lankan coach and his ‘work of art’ in All Blacks country
AAt the turn of the millennium, Sri Lankan rugby star of Royal College and Colombo Hockey and Football Club (CH&FC) fame Boa Athu relocated to New Zealand to pursue higher studies in business management. A daredevil flanker, he continued to play rugby but given his shoulder and knee injuries, his greater calling was to engage in his passion as a coach. “Coaching really intrigued me. I was a far better coach than a player. As a coach, I always question why we do this and that,” he says. A little over two decades later, Athu has not only achieved what many could only dream of – shepherding Manukau Rovers Rugby Football Club to become Auckland champions; but he has become one of the greatest influencers in world rugby. If only World Rugby (WR) had heeded his proposal to introduce an orange card, the Rugby World Cup final would not have been undermined as a spectacle when All Blacks captain Sam Cane and Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi were penalised for high tackles.
Athu has been lobbying WR to introduce an orange card and a broader safe tackle framework (STF). He argues: “If there is direct head contact now, it’s a red card. Instead of a red card, issue an orange card with a 10 minute ‘sin bin’ – and after the game, an automatic judicial hearing.”
“Don’t ruin the game because a red card should be for acts of violence, outright foul play or intent to hurt,” he urges, noting: “When I pitched the idea to World Rugby, I said I fear that a major spectacle will be affected eventually. And that’s exactly what happened.”
“I wish they’d listened to me. Maybe they will now,” he adds.
This season however, New Zealand Rugby made a decision to lower the tackle height in all competitions around the country based on Athu’s STF. “One of the outcomes of that is we’ve reduced concussions,” he reveals.
He continues: “The next step is to physically put the (tackle) line on the jersey. Hopefully that will happen next season.”
When asked how he immersed himself in New Zealand’s rugby culture and became a successful coach, Athu responds: “I’ve always believed that I had a very good knowledge and grasp of the game. For me, it was a matter of understanding their style of rugby, and what they were looking for in players and coaches.”
He learnt mostly by watching and listening: “I found that the less I spoke, the more I learnt. The more I learnt, the more accepted I was in the coaching community.”
Former Coach Development Manager of Auckland Rugby Union Richard Harris was one of his mentors. “Of course, I’m very creative when it comes to strike moves on the field. Moreover, I changed my tactics with the change of rules,” Athu explains.
He elaborates: “When it comes to the ’50:22’ rule for example (i.e. if you kick from within your team’s half when the ball goes out on the bounce in the opposition’s 22, it’s your line out), if you have a good tactical kicker, it’s very easy. All you do is target the corners, and go for a set piece and try.”
Athu believes that his greatest strength as a coach is innovation when it comes to strategy and self-criticism: “I like to think that I’m quite innovative. It’s not the same old boring hit and roll. I do a lot of classroom work with my coaches and players. That’s an accumulation of everything I’ve learnt in New Zealand and I bring my own little flavour to it.”
He is a student of not only rugby but other sports as well. “Any sport that involves an oval ball or otherwise is about manipulating space – I study other coaches and sports codes, and try to use some of those concepts,” he reveals.
Another of Athu’s concepts is story coaching: “It helps them inspire themselves that much more.”
The proof is in the pudding – winning the Gallaher Shield twice. He muses: “It vindicates my coaching philosophy of taking something complex, simplifying and presenting it to my players so that on game day, they can go and express themselves. It’s a work of art.”
Athu’s future focus is on coach education and development: “My great passion is in helping coaches become better versions of coaches as an educator. I am trying to simplify the game, make it more spectator friendly and safe at the same time, and not ruin the element of contact.”