Andy’s journey
RUGBY UNION DAVID WILKINSON
ANDY Appleyard arrived at Macclesfield Rugby Club in 2018, then as an Attack Coach, working with Head Coach Marshall Gadd.
Before long he had taken on the job as General Manager at the Club and then taking-over the top coaching job at Priory Park.
I asked Andy how it all started for him and he told me that the local RFU Rugby Development Officer, a guy called Dick Wareham, came into his school, to do some ‘taster sessions’.
Andy said: “The school, like the rest of Barnsley, played football and I played in the nets as I had all-right hands. He told me I should go to my local club, so I went down to Barnsley, but they didn’t have a team in my age group.”
He ended up at a Wakefield club, playing Rugby League for a season or so, then going back to Barnsley and by age 15/16 was playing senior rugby. As Andy hadn’t started until aged 14 he was a bit of a late starter, but he caught up quickly and was soon playing 1st team rugby either at Full Back, Fly Half or in the centre. Keen to progress Andy took himself to Sheffield Eagles and played League again for a couple of years in the Academy.
Andy told me that the time had come to decide upon a career and whilst all his pals got proper jobs, he got accepted at The University of Lincoln to study Sports Development and Coaching.
“That got me playing Union again, they had some really good players and we got promoted year-on-year for the four years I was there,” he said.
Through this period Andy immersed himself in coaching, both the men’s team and the ladies for a season.
In the holidays he would continue coaching back home while working in multi-sport activity camps.
After graduating he started to play again for Barnsley but with the intention of going abroad to play: “It came out of the blue, this development job with the RFU was advertised, so I thought I’d go for it, and I got it.”
Andy covered the North West and Yorkshire coaching at all levels, in schools, clubs and at regional level: “It was a really good time, putting my coaching degree into practise and learning off other coaches and teachers.”
With a year to go on his development contract, with the RFU, a position came up with England. Andy was put forward, along with several other candidates, and went along to Pennyhill Park for the interviews.
After an intimidating interview with Steve Borthwick, he sat down for a chat with Eddie Jones: “He was dead relaxed with me and asked me more about my family than rugby, I got to ask him some questions, so I thought, go for it, and asked him loads of questions – perhaps that’s what swung it for me.”
Andy told me the year with England would be priceless: “You would be sent the coaching schedule leading up to sessions with the squad, then an hour before, Eddie would change everything; you had to really think on your feet.”
Andy went back to his home Barnsley Rugby Club, but was tempted away to a Rotherham club Wath Upon Dearne as a player coach. B
efore long Barnsley got him back as Head Coach: “I was still playing a bit, but I found the coaching there really difficult; it was very different trying to coach your rugby mates that you’d grown up with. The opportunity came up at Macc, which was a difficult decision with a young family, but I hoped it would lead to other things.”
Andy joined Marshall Gadd at the Club on a part-time basis, whilst still working with the RFU, and formed a good coaching partnership with him: “Although I was Attack Coach, I got involved in all facets of the coaching, Marsh was excellent on the detail, the ‘top two inches’, particularly in the front row.”
When Gadd’s contract was terminated, Andy took over for the last two months of the season, it gave him the opportunity to make his mark with the players, speeding up the game and the training.
During this time and indeed since, Andy told me that he has tried to bring his England experiences into the coaching sessions: “It’s a delicate balance, as a coach you try to pass on every bit of knowledge that you’ve got, but you’ve got to remember that these lads have not been on the
‘You’ve got to remember the lads haven’t been on the same journey as you; a focused coach, a student of the game’
same path that you’ve been on: a focused coach, a student of the game, you’ve been looking at how you can change things by 1% - and they haven’t; they’re just loving the game, playing the game, working nine ‘til five then coming to training.”
Listening to Andy talk, it is obvious that he has invested time in each of the players, getting to know how they tick. He says that some want to be left alone to get on with it, whilst others benefit more