Finding his feet in the coaching game
WHATEVER you do, don’t run out on to the field when the whistle blows.
It is just one of the many adjustments newlyminted Highlanders defence coach Shane Christie has had to make.
It was not that long ago it was his job to actually make the tackles. These days his role is limited to making sure everyone understands the defensive patterns.
Christie played 30 games for the Highlanders from 2014 to 2017. He was troubled by concussionlike symptoms in his last year and retired in 2018.
He moved into coaching and built an impressive resume with Tasman as the Makos’ defence coach.
But he really misses playing and making those tackles himself.
‘‘I miss it a lot, eh,’’ the former loose forward said.
Even the gruelling preseason fitness tests and telling skin fold measurements were ‘‘all part of the fun’’.
‘‘You miss it every day when you see the boys working hard. I loved the camaraderie and all that. And when the games kick off it will get even worse.
‘‘But it is still cool to be part of and hopefully I can help the players be their best version of themselves.
‘‘It is a completely different role but it is good to be back with familiar coaches and a lot of the players I still know and played with.’’
The 35yearold, who grew up in Nelson, entered the professional ranks late. He had a career in building before joining the Crusaders in 2013.
But with the likes of Richie McCaw and Matt Todd ahead of Christie, he made just one appearance for the Crusaders before moving south to play for the Highlanders.
His move into coaching in 2018 netted immediate rewards. Tasman made it into the semifinals in 2018 and won the premiership in 2019 and 2020.
While Christie has had three years in the coaching ranks, it has been a rapid transition.
‘‘The last two years have been good but in the first year everything was new. But once I got my head around the process, you can put the work in and grow quicker.
‘‘Although I’m still learning heaps, I feel pretty comfortable.
‘‘As a player you use your body but as a coach you have to spend more time analysing the game and opposition and trying to get the most out of your players you have.
‘‘Along the way you make mistakes and say the wrong thing but you just learn from that each and every time.
‘‘I’ve never expected to be anywhere near perfect. But as long as you enjoy the process and learn.’’
Christie has worked alongside fellow Highlanders assistant coach Clarke Dermody at Tasman for the past three years and he also has a good relationship with head coach Tony Brown.
Having that connection there from the beginning is a head start.
But while Christie will enjoy the confidence of the coaching staff, to win the fans over the Highlanders will need to put in some solid defensive efforts.
Christie, who preferred not to discuss his family life, has already set to work establishing the structures which worked so well at Tasman.
The Highlanders have a training session in Oamaru today and will also be doing some training skills and drills with some children from the area.
The Highlanders have a preseason game against the Crusaders in a fortnight.
‘‘It will be a good sort of benchmark,’’ Christie said.
‘‘Brownie has set a really good standard for how we are going to operate as a team this year and all the players have really bought into that.
‘‘We’ve just being doing the simple things really well which we need to do to be successful as a team.’’