Bradley’s on the coach party as WRU look to future
IT’S one of the talked-about issues in Welsh rugby, with many feeling it to be of huge importance.
Others barely lose a wink of sleep about it.
But the Welsh Rugby Union can no longer be accused of ignoring it.
The matter in question is the development of Welsh coaches.
In conjunction with the regions and the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association, the union have hand-picked 10 current or recently retired players to undertake a new coach development programme.
Justin Tipuric, Leigh Halfpenny and James Hook were flagged up as being on the course earlier this summer. To their names, those of Bradley Davies, Paul James, Rob McCusker, Aaron Jarvis, Brok Harries, Angus O’Brien and Dan Fish can be added.
The 10 began the inaugural Player to Coach programme last September, overseen by WRU performance coach manager Dan Clements.
It’s an initiative that may go
Welsh rugby clubs across the nation can return to training on August 1 provided they adhere to strict guidelines and complete an online course beforehand.
The Welsh Rugby Union has outlined the plan for the sport’s phased return at grassroots level following the latest guidance from the Welsh Government.
Representatives from over 300 clubs attended a webinar run by the Union on Monday night, which specified exactly some way to countering the contention that the production line of high-quality coaches in Wales is in a state of serious disrepair, with not a single Welsh head coach in the top three professional leagues in the northern hemisphere.
But Welsh professional rugby appears to be trying to do something about it.
Davies has no plans to retire as a player yet, but, at 33, the 66-cap Wales lock is casting an eye to the future and will shortly become one of the first graduates on the new course.
“It’s been fantastic,” said Davies. “The coaching initiatives in Wales are starting to bear fruit. There are lot of really good young coaches starting to get big jobs: for example, Richie Rees and Dai Flanagan, while Richard Kelly has just got a job with the Scarlets.
“The way the public react, unless we’ve got every single coach Welsh, they are not happy.
what criteria must be met as we edge slowly towards the sport’s return at all levels.
It has now been confirmed that clubs can return to non-contact training at the start of next month but there are strict rules.
All coaches, players - or the parents of young players - must complete World Rugby’s online Covid-19 Return to Play awareness course. They must then complete the WRU’s registration process, which opens on August 1.
“How did I get into coaching? I’ve done bits and bobs and when I’ve coached on a bigger scale and done a couple of sessions I’ve really enjoyed it.
“A couple of coaches over the last five years, including some big ones my career, have said: ‘You could actually be a good coach.’
“They have kind of pushed me, so that’s why I am here today.”
For sure, coaches come with different styles and outlooks.
“When someone asks me whether someone’s a good coach or not, my first thought is how they make you feel,” said Davies.
“I guess winning is a big part of that but I think a good coach is a fantastic problem solver who is adaptable. Look at the situation with coronavirus: you never know what is around the corner but the biggest thing is being a good person off the field where someone can trust you and cares about you.
“All the good coaches I know have been good blokes.
“He or she is someone who might ask you how’s the family doing, rather than just ask rugby
Players will only be cleared to take part in training once they are fully registered.
Training will take place in small groups of 10 to 15 players and ‘should focus on fitness, skills and small-sided, noncontact games’. Guidance on gradually increasing the size of groups will be provided ‘at the appropriate time’.
Further training will be available to club representatives later this week to ensure they have the knowledge to carry out sessions safely. questions. The way coaching is going, it’s going to be more NFL style, with smaller roles for more coaches.
“I’d love to do a bit of line-out and stuff that I’m passionate about. In the long term I wouldn’t mind trying to step up the ladder – that natural progression between forwards to head coach and see what goes from there.
“The smaller the role, the more you can work at it, as sometimes a coach has too much to deal with. All the good teams have coaches for the smaller roles.
“At the moment I enjoy coaching at the elite end of the sport, the winning and losing and stuff like that, but I also get excited about the prospect of maybe working at academy level first.
“The best coaches I know are the ones who, actually, you could go to a coffee shop with and have a coffee. I think you just have to be a good person and care about the person you’re talking to – it’s not a bad place to start.”
Davies, popular and an allround nice guy, looks to have a head start on that front.
Players will also have to complete an online symptom checker before sessions.
Further webinars will be held by the WRU regarding the preparation of facilities, funding and first aid practices. The WRU also say they are in talks with PPe suppliers and ‘will update clubs on this area’.
The WRU say that ‘significant’ changes to government guidance would have to take place before contact training can resume, especially regarding social distancing measures.