I have learnt so much from working with Barrett, one of world’s greats
Ilove rugby and I love coaching. And so I am going to take any opportunity I get to practise coaching in my spare time. I love going back to Suntory in Japan and I love the 10-day spells I have to refresh myself by doing nothing else but practise my coaching with a group of players who are always eager to work and to learn.
I learn even more from them at these practice sessions – especially when the chance arises to work with Beauden Barrett.
A Bob Dwyer phrase still rings in my head today. He said: “The best coaches in the world are the best players.” He meant that, if you want to become a better coach, learn from the best players. Every time I talk to a leading player, I learn more from them than they learn from me.
In England, there has been much criticism of me coaching Suntory, and working with Beauden. But, for me, the best thing is that Beauden, one of the world’s great rugby players, is comfortable enough in himself, as I am in myself, to talk about the game so openly. We’re not trying to take anything away from each other. We’re trying to help each other and to just share our love of the game. Winning matters hugely, but I want the game of rugby to grow and to be truly great.
Some coaches and leaders prefer to run their lives in a more secretive way. But I have found that if you’re open and you’re sharing then, generally, you get more back than you
give. I wouldn’t have it any other way because, to me, it’s stimulating and refreshing and rewarding.
I went to Argentina before the last World Cup to help their coaches set up a local club competition. I did it out of a genuine love for the game rather than because I was letting slip any A1 secrets – not that we really have any. We shared information, and when I got there I learnt some new ideas which have been of benefit to me and my team. I might have helped them think about the game in a different way, too, and how can that be anything but good for rugby?
When working with Beauden, I have learnt more about his humility and the way he keeps working at his game. He has twice been the International Rugby Board’s World
Rugby Player of the Year but, with Suntory, which is supposedly meant to be an easy gig for him, he comes out every morning for training with the vim and enthusiasm of an 18-year-old.
One week, even when there was no game on the weekend and he had a crook neck and had to wear a medical bib, Beauden was at it with so much purpose and intent. He loves practising and training and playing, and I savour that undying passion that surges through him.
I’ve spoken about Beauden to my players in England. Over here, considering the length of the season and the environment, some players tend to go through the motions in training. But you need to find a way to retain that boyish love and enthusiasm for the game.