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Club Rugby – Where it all begins…..

I am now 6 weeks into my Pre season phase of preparation of my Premier Club team - Marist North Harbour, who are one of 10 teams in the North Harbour Provincial Union Competition. For the past 3 years now we have opted to conduct this first 6 week block of our training away from the rugby field opting to instead look for alternative venues like a local beach – Mairangi bay which offers us both the water and sand as a great cross training environment as well as some impressive steep walk ways which go up and over to the neighboring beaches which is great for our aerobic fitness. When we are not at the beach we will be down in Devonport where we use one of the many dormant volcanic cones within Auckland as a base for our tough aerobic sessions.
To be honest although our training at this time of the year tends to be physically tough with a large cross training base, it’s the players that have decided this is what they want to do for training at this time of the year. For the ones who haven’t done anything over the summer there is no pressure to do things to any time – it’s about just keeping moving. For those that have a better conditioning base then it’s made competitive but always with a fun element. When you think about it, come the start of the season you are on the field for a long time so why not provide some variety early on and keep away from the monotony of running around that field all day every day- it’s about using your imagination and thinking outside the square.
Last week saw us return to our fields to begin some more rugby specific conditioning for the inevitable pre season game(s) that we have in place building up to the start of the comp in late March.
Early on with my coaching of this team, (now my 6th season), I use to panic about how we would perform in these pre season games and where were all the players – most still enjoying the summer or playing summer sports like Cricket or Surf lifesaving and a ever growing group within the club are involved in an identified talented players squad who are involved in training with the unions development programmes.
 My take on pre season games now is quite different - well the initial couple of games anyway.  I have no focus what so every on combinations or organisation of attack moves or patterns etc – If you think about what you want to see within those areas, its initiative and having the ability to adapt and react to what is happening. What I place all my focus on is the instruction during the week and the execution during the games of the core skills that will be the fundamentals for which we will build our pattern for the year off. In this case, this year we are looking at 4 key areas;
1. Presentation from our ball carrier –doesn’t need to be from the ground. Preferably off loading    pre and in contact. Ensuring we are in what we call positive space (moving forward).
2. Support play – looking at how effective are we at cleanout. Ensuring we provide multiple continuity options. Making good decisions.
3. Playing with intensity and ensuring we use our strong conditioning base to dictate the speed of the game.
4. Better understanding of the law and interpretation. We want to be smarter around what we can do and how we can do it.
 Two games played and two games to go. In fact our last 2 Pre season games see us travel to a Marist Tournament in Hastings next weekend with all the other Marist clubs from throughout the North Island . It’s a special tournament for the club and has huge history associated with it. More on this next week.
In finishing up what has been good to see in the 2 games to date is both the teams we played have been coached by former recently retired professional players. Too often these professional players are fast tracked to positions well ahead of their coaching ability having not done anything of significance in coaching at all. In the case of these 2 guys both are  keen to develop further but quite happy to start back at club - put something back into their club and learn the trade in an environment which is going to force you to do so. The 2 guys I refer to are Jason Hewitt at University, (Former Auckland  ½ back) and up at the Kamo club in Northland is Gus Collins ,   (A recently retired Blues loose forward and Northland NPC legend).

On Assignment

Since leaving New Zealand on 26th October, the last six weeks have been a whirlwind of rugby experiences and shows the broad nature of life as an assignment based rugby development coach.

First stop was Kuala Lumpur and to be part of the official New Zealand Trade delegation in Malaysia to sign the official trade agreement between both countries was a truly exciting experience.

The fact that  I got to meet the Prime Minister, Trade Minister, high profile business leaders, opposition MP’s and many of Malaysia’s top sports and business leaders  reinforces the fact that in real life terms, they are just humble people doing an important job in their respective roles.

The fact that our small innovative company got extremely valuable international press and profile around the signing of the MOU between Malaysian RFU, NZRR and its commercial partners in the upcoming rugby development project makes one appreciate that New Zealanders are well known for getting outside of their comfort zones and making things happen.

To see the New Zealand Prime Minister witnessing our special moment was truly satisfying, knowing the many hours of work that went into getting us actually onto the stage in Kuala Lumpur.  That is business I guess but all the same really encouraging for our “virtual” business.

Next stop was Beirut where I am writing this blog from.

If someone had said to me two years ago that I would be sitting in West Beirut developing rugby in Lebanon and Syria, I would have suggested they visit a shrink but it is a reality for me at present and a rich cultural experience at the same time.

I had a perception of what it may be like as I flew on the plane coming here and I suppose that may have been tainted by the images of house to house fighting that we all witnessed on TV in recent years as the country and divided Beirut battled with conflicts.

Now that I am living in West Beirut and wandering the streets around my accommodation, I have been warmly received and now feel very comfortable as a local of Rouche’, the Sunni Muslim area of West Beirut.

Sure we have a tank in our street as company and many military to say hi to on the way around but I am encouraged that people are getting on with the job of rebuilding their lives and the buildings affected by recent conflicts.

I have had the chance to travel deep into the UN controlled Hisbollah territory in recent times and again was treated with warmth and respect by local people – pinching myself at the same time that this is an experience that few rugby coaches worldwide would have.

As I move around the Universities and schools as we spread the word about rugby in Lebanon, it is plain to see the values of sport, and the role sport can play in uniting and galvanizing society.

Beirut is known as “Paris of the East” and I am enjoying the rich cultural and vibrant social atmosphere that exists here on the Mediterranean coast.  The food and social warmth of society have been highlights of my time here so far – the local driving habits will take a little longer to get used to.

The opportunity to take a team from Beirut to the Dubai Seven’s tournament was truly a rewarding experience and although the team I took failed to win a game in the tough Overseas International division, the chance for my players to play a semi professional outfit from Pyrenees RFC in France, a top Nigerian club side and a couple of slick UK based sides was a great learning experience for them.

My team of 10 players consisted of two Fijians, one American, One Englishman, One Frenchman and five Lebanese of different backgrounds which created a real League of Nations feeling with me as a kiwi coach and we had a lot of fun experiencing the game of sevens against far more experienced sides over the two days of competition. 

Some of the players were pinching themselves when ten minutes after the final between New Zealand and Samoa, they were out in the middle of Emirates stadium holding the trophy, having photographs with New Zealand seven’s stars and rubbing shoulders with their role models and New Zealand rugby icons. 

The image and brand of New Zealand rugby is still strong internationally and those photos will be treasured and talked about by those involved for many years and the shots now also have pride of place in our rugby bar in Beirut – a great place for Karaoke on a Friday night I might add.

From Dubai, I travelled to Hong Kong and assisted a local rugby official to make a presentation to delegates of the Asian Rugby Football Union.

The presentation was successful and now Lebanon Rugby Union Federation is an associate member of Asian RFU and eligible to play in international competitions.

Along with another new member country from United Arab Emirates who will replace the Arabian Gulf RFU at the end of 2010, we have become part of the now twenty eight nations who make up the rugby family in Asia.

The prospects are now bright for local Lebanese players to aspire to play for their country in international rugby competitions in 2010 and beyond and I look forward to assisting them to make that happen.

It makes one realize just how wide and diverse the global rugby family has now become and the game is set to forge ahead in the Middle East region with a number of cross border competitions and structures emerging for players to participate in.

The life of an assignment coach can be very rewarding and it is encouraging to know that countries like Lebanon and Syria can be part of our great game.

Local rugby officials currently have to pay security guards in Damascus to get access to soccer grounds to train, such are the vagaries of being part of the game that is so foreign to people in these parts of the world, but here in Lebanon where grounds are available to play, we look forward to playing the teams from Syria, Jordan, Kuwait and other Gulf regions in the New Year as we continue to grow the game for the increasing numbers of local participants, both men and women, wanting to be part of the game.

These are the truly satisfying aspects of rugby development and for our small company from New Zealand, recognition that we are touching people from many parts of the world now – people from over forty one countries visited our website last month and news that we have signed a management contract for a new international sports academy in Phuket, Thailand is also very encouraging.

Awesome news – may it long continue – for Rugby’s sake.

Long time no see

It's been a while since I last wrote a blog for our website and I have been remiss in keeping everyone up to date.  A lot has been happening at NZRugbyResources and we have been extremely busy.

As you can see in the press releases on the front page NZRugbyResources have announced a joint venture with the Malaysia Rugby Union & Canterbury Asia to run a number of coaching clinics throughout Malaysia.

We have also signed an agreement to establish a rugby academy in conjunction with the Phuket International Academy in Phuket, Thailand.

Add to this that we have sent Rob Yule on assignment to Lebanon as National Coach. I have also taken an invitation team to the Bangkok Sevens and run a Sevens tournament in New Zealand.

James has been involved with the delicate negotiations in Malaysia and has been touring through Asia establishing and re-establishing contacts throughout the region. He will detail more in his blog about NZRugbyResources and the Canterbury Asia and the Malaysia Rugby Union.

The last month has been a challenging odyssey for me as I have coped with the impact of heat and environment on players - not as well as we would have liked, 42C with high humidity proved to be too difficult in such a short lead in time to surmount.

Finishing the tournament and jumping on a plane at an ungodly hour to travel to sign a significant development document and establish more business for NZRR then return home on a 38 hour transit to run another tournament has proven very challenging.

The benefits to our business of this rapid progression is finally starting to sink in and the excitement is starting to build about truly working with developing nations in Asia.

Impressions of NZ Provincial Rugby

After returning to New Zealand in recent weeks, it has been great to watch some intriguing provincial rugby games, attend some training sessions and catch up with players, coaches and support staff. Rugby in New Zealand has always produced some stirring provincial pride and in 2009 there appears to be a resurgence of passion in the rural provinces, areas where for years good work has continued by committed staff to improve local players through development systems and teams are benefitting from that investment in players in local academy structures. The games I have watched indicate to me that coaches and players are starting to really come to grips with ways of advantaging the ELV laws and a lot of time is being spent in squad trainings on improving communication strategies, effective decision making and individual skills such as the range of kicking skills required right across the park. With many young players getting their chance to impress and push for higher honours, it is very satisfying to see so many close intense matches in a very even competition where the bigger provinces are finding it difficult to show their dominance in a way they may have expected in other years. With 30 seconds to go last weekend and leading on the scoreboard, Manawatu almost tipped over the boys from Auckland. To lose in the last play of the game after turning the ball over while trying to run the clock down with pick and go strategy around the edges of the rucks 30 metres from their posts, shows that decision making must be constant throughout 80 minutes. Sure a TV replay would show that a player from Auckland may have entered from an illegal angle to steal the ball but with the value of hindsight, there would have been other options that coaching staff may have reminded players of post game so that next time something similar occurs they have learned from that situation. The high amount of kicking in games I have watched has also highlighted the need for players to develop more feel, touch and space awareness when employing kicking options in general play. The sides that are angling the kicks away from defenders and turning defenders around in their effort to recover ball are also employing strong chase strategies so that the chance of an offensive turnover is a real one. These sort of tactics are part of overall game strategy and at recent practices I have watched, coaches are spending time honing players skills in high ball catching, effectively communicating options and implementing counter attack options in a variety of situations, dependant on the defenders actions. Counter attack has long been an attacking weapon, it is clear now that sides must be able to execute both counter attack and defence organization of opposition counter attack to be competitive in the modern game.

News From Tehran, Iran

I am writing this blog from Tehran where I have just returned after participating in the Asian Five Nations Division Three tournament in Manila over the past week.

The Iran team performed admirably at the tournament and won many friends with the way they played, considering there has been no fifteens rugby for my squad since last October with the 2009 club league yet to be played in Iran.

We were the biggest side physically at the tournament which also had participating National teams from Guam, Philippines and Indonesia.

Our first game was against the host nation Philippines and played in very hot and energy sapping humid conditions at the Nomads sports club.

Although losing the match 15 – 0, the Iran side was far from disgraced and at 73 minutes into the game it was only 3 – 0 to the Philippines and could have gone either way.

The referee from Korea had a big influence on the match with 110 stoppages and no advantage play shown to either side.

Iran showed robust defence for the majority of the game, dominated lineouts and were not often shifted at scrum time but leaked a soft try in the 78th minute when the physical and mental tiredness was starting to take a bearing on all players in the match.

I had to console my guys after the match and although they were very upset to lose, I was happy that they had given huge commitment to the match against a far more experienced side in the Philippines.  Their side had no less than 15 overseas based players including players with club premier grade experience in Australia and Wales and to hold them as we did was very encouraging for me as coach and the team Manager.

An analysis of the match statistics with the Referee Manager at the tournament also provided insight into the lack of match experience the Iranian side have had and the fact that we prepared for the tournament with little equipment, no scrum machine or tackle bags and just a few locally made hit pads to provide resistance at training.

Indiscretions included pushing over the mark early at scrum time, not always retiring 10 metres at penalty and free kick, a few marginally crooked throws to the lineout, and a small number of indiscretions at ruck play which can all be worked on in future programmes.

In the second game against the Indonesian national side, the Iranian team showed the Asian rugby public what they can do when given a little space and scored 8 tries in demolishing the opposition 48 -13.

Another powerful performance from the forwards laid the platform for some quicker ball to be delivered to the backs and they scored 6 of the 8 tries with some nice passing interchanges to put players into space.

The Indonesian side also contained 4 overseas based players and a number of local based expat players which made the win even more amazing.

So, a successful tournament in terms of progress in the Iran rugby national programme and evidence that the side has a lot of potential for the future.

This point was recognized by Asian RFU officials and other nations personnel at the tournament which augers well for the future of the game in Iran.

Rugby only resurfaced 8 years ago after being banned by the Islamic Government post revolution in 1979, thinking it was American Football, a barrier that unfortunately still remains.

The challenge now is to get some rugby equipment such as tackle bags, scrum machine and contact suits to support the programme, some sponsors to see the potential for the game in the future in Iran, an education on Rugby Union for Government officials and more hard match experience so that players can learn the realities of playing international rugby at this level.

The Iranians possess natural size and strength, are good trainers and have plenty of speed in their squad.

Tested by the Iran Sports academy officials under electronic timing the day we left for Manila, 11 of the 24 players in the squad ran 5.0sec or under in the standing 40 metre test.  The fastest player recorded 4.71 sec and a prop ran 4.98sec.

An Iranian professional club soccer team on good salaries and with a host of support staff  tested straight after us and only had 7 players who went under 5.0 sec.

So with my boys knowing that they had all given up work on no pay for 6 weeks, had trained really hard over a three week pre tournament camp as their build up in temperatures close to 40 degrees every day and were given not enough food to maintain energy levels in camp, it was no wonder that their faces were smiling knowing that with some extra resource and equipment, some introduction of sports science supplements such as protein powder and electrolyte replacement, sourcing of a physiotherapist and a better understanding of the programme needs by the Iran Rugby  Federation officials, then there is no reason why Iran rugby cannot continue to grow quickly and test more experienced nations in Asian rugby in the near future.

Rob Yule       
Iran National Rugby Coach 
Tehran