Co-operation and the sharing of knowledge are the themes looking to drive the next generation of coaches after the conclusion of the second Youth Rugby Coaches Forum.
After the initial forum in 2022, over 200 coaches attended the two-day event at the end of January at St Joseph’s Nudgee College.
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Australia A coach Jason Gilmore headlined the event, coming off a 2-1 series win over Japan, discussing how coaches at all levels of the game can build Rugby IQ both on and off the field.
He was joined by the likes of Olympic gold medalist and Wallaroos captain Shannon Parry, who shared the qualities of a great coach and insights into successful coaching practices as she takes the first steps in her own coaching career as a National Emerging Sevens Coach.
Founder of the Youth Rugby Coaches Forum and Director of Rugby at Nudgee College, Sean Graham, was delighted with the success of the program, after being limited last year in the scope of the program due to COVID.
"Not being restricted by COVID this time around allowed us to involve both presenters and attendees from across the country and even abroad, creating a diverse networking opportunity for coaches," he added.
This allowed for coaches from across the UK, Japan and New Zealand to give their insights into the game across interactive activities and drills as well as opportunities to discuss the topics in think-tank workshops.
Former England International and current assistant coach for the new NRL expansion team the Dolphins Ben Te'o also provided valuable knowledge, continuing the cross-code relationship after Wayne Bennett was one of the marquee speakers in 2022.
Aaron Webb, Crusaders Academy Manager, shared his experience in one of the world’s most successful rugby developmental programs in the world, stressing the importance of coaches to ‘build your players' ability to be confident in what they do’ in order to help them reach their full potential.
Webb was impressed by the program as it looks to continue to build into 2024.
"It was an outstanding programme," he said.
"I was really impressed with a number of things about it including the variety of speakers and topics I thought was outstanding-covering both the science and the art of coaching and they all tied together well.
" I learned heaps and really enjoyed the networking opportunities."
