Amateur Rugby Podcast

Tim Tunnicliff

This weekly show will explore the world of amateur rugby union - the people, clubs and stories that make it the lifeblood of the game we love.

  1. Aug 9

    #196 - Alan Zondagh - Why Rugby Needs To Coach The Chaos

    My guest this week is Alan Zondagh, a veteran coach and rugby educator whose career has taken him from South Africa to England, France and beyond. Alan has worked with players and teams at every level, including Western Province, London Scottish and Saracens, and his new book, Attack, Attack, Attack, brings together the coaching philosophy he has developed throughout his career. At the heart of it is a fascinating idea: rugby coaches can provide structure, but they also need to prepare players for what happens when the structure disappears. We talked about: • Creating chaos in the opposition defence • Why Alan starts his coaching with the individual ball carrier • Teaching supporting players to recognise what the ballman sees • The X and Y axes of attacking rugby • Why positioning can ask questions of a defence before the attack begins • Alan's 48% box-kick statistic and his concerns about the modern game • Why he believes coaching is an art rather than a fixed programme • His experiences learning from Pierre Villepreux and French rugby • His time with London Scottish and Saracens • The evolution of rugby conditioning and weight training • The rugby laws he would like to see changed • Why the scrum should be used more as an attacking platform One thing I particularly enjoyed about this conversation is that Alan doesn't simply offer another set of rugby coaching drills. He keeps coming back to the idea of developing players who can actually see the game and respond to it. That sounds simple. It probably isn't. But when it works, as Alan says, you get the goosebumps. LINKS Contact Alan at https://www.az-rugby.com/ GET STASH England Rugby Store - https://ers.pxf.io/KjV30v British & Irish Lions Store - https://bil.sjv.io/9gNaL4 BUY ME A COFFEE Coffee helps me make more and better episodes. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/amateurrugbypodcast PATREON Join The Amateur Rugby Podcast Patreon community for some extra amateur rugby goodness! (https://patreon.com/amateurrugbypodcast) SUPPORT If you would like to support the podcast in some way there are plenty of options for you on my Support the Podcast (https://www.amateurrugbypodcast.com/support/) page.

  2. Jul 19

    #195 - Kennedy Tsimba - Who wins the race to react first?

    My guest this week is a former Bath, Cheetahs and Zimbabwe fly-half who has gone on to become a coach at The Bulls in the URC. Kennedy Tsimba has had a fascinating journey through rugby, from growing up in Zimbabwe and learning the game by watching VHS tapes of the Five Nations, to playing alongside and learning from some of the greatest minds in the sport. We talked about: The unique rugby culture Kennedy grew up with in Zimbabwe How skills learned from VHS videos and practised in the backyard eventually made their way into professional training and matches How Kennedy was discovered and signed by Bath in the late 1990s, and the lessons he learned from some of English rugby's greatest minds Playing for his "perfect" team, the Free State Cheetahs, where his captain was Rassie Erasmus How Kennedy developed his thinking around unstructured play, including several key tips for both players and coaches The study Kennedy conducted, how it informed his "SHIFT" framework, and his plans to contribute it to the wider rugby world How VR is now helping to train the Springboks! This is a sensational episode with a wonderful thinker about the game. Kennedy has a unique perspective on rugby, shaped by his experiences as a player, coach and researcher. I hope you enjoy it. GET STASH England Rugby Store - https://ers.pxf.io/KjV30v British & Irish Lions Store - https://bil.sjv.io/9gNaL4 BUY ME A COFFEE Coffee helps me make more and better episodes. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/amateurrugbypodcast PATREON Join The Amateur Rugby Podcast Patreon community for some extra amateur rugby goodness! (https://patreon.com/amateurrugbypodcast) SUPPORT If you would like to support the podcast in some way there are plenty of options for you on my Support the Podcast (https://www.amateurrugbypodcast.com/support/) page

About

This weekly show will explore the world of amateur rugby union - the people, clubs and stories that make it the lifeblood of the game we love.

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