Lead from the pack
for me that’s about getting the secondary schools up and running.
“The first month of my job has been meeting with secondary schools and trying to get stuff into place.
“At Hamilton Grammar just now we’re hitting every first year at the school, getting a wee taste of rugby and trying to get an after school started girls.
“If we can develop that throughout the schools, and within the club, we can create a culture of rugby within Hamilton, and that’s a good way to describe my job.
“That happens at all levels. It’s going down to the police and helping with some community activity, showing that we don’t just want you to come here. We’ll go out into the community, show that rugby is a big family and you can be part of it.
“The next step is just supporting our coaches to get better. I’m putting together a programme that will support the coaches, looking at how I can come out and watch and interact with them. Even if I’m not there, I can make sure their sessions are being filmed for the coaches, not just the players. Scottish Rugby put out loads of good courses and intel about how we can develop players, but we’re not really looking at how we can develop for boys and our coaches.
“I’ve been really happy with them, because they’re all running really fun, active sessions, and if you have that basis you’re onto a winner. If they’re laughing they’re learning, and having a good time.
“The next step is being more specific in what we’re delivering, so that when we get that under-18 player going into senior, what kind of rugby player are we putting there, and what opportunities do they have.
“My job is to convince the kids to play rugby, but if I can get a teacher doing it, that now lasts. In a previous job I managed to get a few schools that weren’t traditional rugby schools at all up and running, playing rugby with teachers who spent their whole life playing football but now have that love for rugby, which is just as important.
“My job is just to maintain the culture that is already here.”