MY NEW RUGBY CHALLENGE
WALES’ GRAND SLAM WINNING BOSS MIKE RUDDOCK ON HIS BIG PLANS FOR THE OSPREYS
FOR Mike Ruddock, lockdown has allowed him to rediscover some of the simpler things in life.
“I’ve got the bike back out,” he explains. “Although the back packed in because of a few old rugby injuries.
“But I’ve also been walking to the local beach in Langland Bay. Every morning I’ve been doing a little sea swim, which is good for the back.
“It’s reconnected me to some very simple, but enjoyable things in life.”
Not everything has been simple, though.
For starters, he’s back working in Wales – something the 2005 Grand Slam winner admits he “didn’t think would ever happen as the years went by”.
There’s also the scale of the job he’s currently working on.
Before lockdown, Ruddock was in the process of trying to turn the Ospreys around following Allen Clarke’s chaotic departure last December.
When he arrived back in Wales after a long and successful association with Landsdowne RFC in Ireland, things at the region were far from ideal.
“It was tough, not just for me, but for everyone,” admits Ruddock.
“I can’t hide from the fact that there was a big cloud hanging over the Ospreys at the time. The magnitude of the job was huge and I did wonder whether to stay on.
“It was a daunting job looking for a pathway for the Ospreys to move forward. I was able to put some actions into place, one of which was to instigate a helmsman’s group.
“We formed a group of about 30 people. It involved the directors, heads of departments in business and rugby, a cross-section of players and the heads of conditioning, marketing and analysis. And then we brainstormed over three or four sessions what had gone well for the Ospreys.”
Given this wasn’t the region’s first experience in recent years of trying to steady the ship, after Steve Tandy was dispensed with in 2017, the review had no set timeline or boundary on it.
“It was a matter of throwing everything on the table and being open and honest,” said Ruddock.
“We talked through how we would avoid mistakes again and put solutions in place. It was all very constructive, but deadly serious.
“There’ll also be mistakes both on and off the pitch, but what we’re trying to do is make it as well-thought and systematic as possible so we can be efficient going forward.
“It’s easy to focus on the negatives when you’re in a dark place. But we’ve got a great record here and are the most successful region. There’s plenty we need to pat ourselves on the back for and revisit how we did things well.
“But we were also very honest in things that had gone wrong and what we could improve on to get ourselves out of this troubled time. We had lots of input from different aspects of the club.
“To summarise, we decided to be better with our internal communications and be more unified. We put solutions in place and over the course of those four sessions, we were able to plot a path forward.”
On the back of that, Ruddock was able to go out and search for a coaching team which fitted the mould decided from those meetings.
They’ve ended up with Toby Booth as the new man in charge, with former Clermont fly-half Brock James joining as attack coach.
Naturally, the hiring of English and Australian coaches didn’t go down well with everyone in Wales, with some bemoaning the lack of an opportunity for young Welsh coaches.
However, Ruddock thinks there’s a good blend of imported wisdom and young Welsh talent.
“That blend is what we were looking for. We’ve got some great young
Welsh coaches at the Ospreys and it looks like James Hook might be transitioning into that.
“Toby is a real energiser and knows his stuff inside out. The boys are really enjoying working with him.
“With Brock, we spoke to a lot of different coaches. He emerged as a great fit for us.
“Underpinning that, we have some great homegrown coaches like Duncan Jones, Richard Fussell, Paul James and Andrew Bishop.
“They’ll learn a lot from Toby and we want to create a learning environment here.”
As for Ruddock himself, he’s taken on a new role himself.
Last week, it was announced he had signed a three-year deal with the region as development director.
It’s something which seems perfect for him, given his work in Ireland with Landsdowne, where he was highly regarded for his work done – albeit as a coach – with a number of players who have gone on to play for Leinster and Ireland.
“I’m in my 60s now,” he explains. “I did 34 years of coaching.
“When I came to the Ospreys, I didn’t want to stay involved as a coach or DOR.
“I’ve run my race, but I feel I have some experience to give back. It was mutually beneficial for both parties that I overlook and support the Ospreys’ development pathway.