Coaching Culture with Ben Herring

Ben Herring
  • 5.0 (8)
  • RUGBY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Coaching Culture with Ben Herring is your weekly deep-dive into the often-overlooked “softer skills” of coaching—cultural innovation, communication, empathy, leadership, dealing with stress, and motivation. Each episode features candid conversations with the world’s top international rugby coaches, who share the personal stories and intangible insights behind their winning cultures, and too their biggest failures and learnings from them. This is where X’s and O’s meet heart and soul, empowering coaches at every level to foster authentic connections, inspire their teams, and elevate their own coaching craft. If you believe that the real gold in rugby lies beyond the scoreboard, Coaching Culture is the podcast for you.

  1. When Kids Tackle Their Dads They Learn Faster

    3D AGO

    When Kids Tackle Their Dads They Learn Faster

    Watching kids train can tell you everything about a coaching environment in minutes. Are they going through the motions, or are they lit up with purpose? We share a small, practical idea that creates a huge shift in youth rugby coaching: stop leaving parents on the sideline and bring them onto the field as part of the session. After seeing a junior team in Sydney’s inner west learn tackling technique by tackling their own dads, we break down why it worked so well, how it boosted confidence, and how it made safe body position and wrapping feel unforgettable.  We also talk about motivation and standards in youth sports development, especially when it comes to fitness. The Bronco test is a simple way to track conditioning across a season, but we add a twist: the “Director’s Bronco,” where the coach runs the shuttle-run test alongside the players and the clock stops when the leader finishes. That one rule turns a routine fitness test into a challenge kids want to train for, because they have a clear target and a real reason to care.  The bigger takeaway is leadership. Whether you’re a parent, coach, or director of rugby, your presence changes the vibe of training in ways you can’t always measure. When leaders sweat with the group, demonstrate effort, and share the work, their words carry more weight and the team’s culture strengthens fast. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a coach or parent, and leave a review. What’s one drill you could upgrade by bringing an adult onto the field? Send us Fan Mail For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    11 min
  2. Greg Cooper: Character will beat talent.

    5D AGO

    Greg Cooper: Character will beat talent.

    Winning teams aren’t built on slogans. They’re built on agreed standards lived every day, and Greg Cooper shows how to get there with clarity, compassion, and competitive edge. From record points as a player to head coaching across New Zealand, Japan, France, and the USA, Greg walks us through the culture mechanics that actually move the needle: listening first, understanding the region and its history, then building a leadership layer of “connectors” who represent workers, pros, imports, and young players. This isn’t about tactics; it’s about vibe, frictions, and real-life pressures that derail performance if leaders don’t catch them early. Greg opens up about early coaching mistakes, like filling silence with certainty he didn’t have and designing drills that created practice illusions. The correction is simple and hard: flip your frame to the defense, get immediate feedback from the unit trying to stop you, and anchor sessions in reality, not theory. He’s equally candid on selection calls he’d change today, shifting toward people before player within consistent standards. He rejects the myth that a healthy squad is universally happy. In a 47-man group, he wants most content and the rest hungry but not angry, which demands transparent communication and fairness applied the same way for everyone. The most powerful thread is mindset. Diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma at 15, Greg learned the psychological can shape the physiological. That insight forged habits—training through treatment cycles, stacking routines, and turning Sunday into the start of healing after losses. Talent wins moments; character and standards win seasons. If you lead teams in any domain, you’ll leave with practical ways to design culture, handle pressure, and coach the person without lowering the bar for performance. If this conversation sharpened your craft, follow the show, share it with a coach who needs it, and leave a quick review to help others find us. What standard will you commit to this week? Send us Fan Mail For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. How to be a great coach Book Vol 2 is out on Amazon now Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    1h 1m
  3. How Rugby Coach Sam Vesty Prepares A Team For A Final

    MAR 18

    How Rugby Coach Sam Vesty Prepares A Team For A Final

    Pressure doesn’t have to create panic. Sometimes it can create your best performance, if you coach the week the right way. Today we reflect on two powerful lessons from Sam Vesty, head coach of Northampton Saints, shared in our new release How to Be a Great Coach: Lessons from the World’s Best Coaches, Volume 2. If you lead a team, coach athletes, or manage people in high-stakes moments, these ideas translate fast. First, we unpack “joy and clarity” as a finals-week strategy. Sam’s goal is freedom, not fear: bring players back to the wide-eyed kid who fell in love with the game. From revealing the final team with childhood photos to asking a simple question (“What would your 10-year-old self want?”), the point is to shift attention away from the scoreboard and onto controllables like intent, effort, and playing with heads up. We also talk about keeping training normal and fun, addressing nerves early, then clearing mental clutter by introducing minimal new tactics. Second, we dig into confident decision making and the line that stops people in their tracks: “Decisive and wrong is better than passive and right.” Sam explains why hesitation is the real enemy in rugby, how overcoaching can erode belief, and how psychological safety helps players learn faster. We finish with a practical lens for feedback: treat skill errors as learning and call out effort errors without crushing confidence. If this helps you coach under pressure, subscribe, share the episode with a fellow coach, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one thing you’ll change in your next big week? Send a text For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    12 min
  4. Gavin Hickie: What Rugby can learn from Navy Culture

    MAR 15

    Gavin Hickie: What Rugby can learn from Navy Culture

    Purpose isn’t a slogan at Navy Rugby; it’s the engine. We sit down with head coach Gavin Hickey to trace his journey from Ireland and Leicester to Annapolis, where a career-ending injury became the start of purpose-driven coaching. Gavin opens the doors to a culture that welcomes spouses and kids, treats athletes like “another set of our children,” and uses rugby to develop decision-making under pressure—the very skill midshipmen will rely on in the fleet. Across this conversation, we unpack how a clear why outperforms any playbook. Gavin explains how Navy turns squads full of newcomers into national contenders by anchoring everything in shared beliefs and peer accountability. Technical skills accelerate when players own the standards. We talk leadership you can see: modeling fitness, discipline, and honesty; choosing sobriety and high personal standards; and being able to look yourself in the mirror and tell the truth about effort and growth. Gavin also shares how American rugby’s grassroots grit—love of the game over money—can reignite passion anywhere. We explore season-long themes drawn from military history, from Pacific island-hopping to trench warfare, and how players translate those battles into weekly focus and identity. The result is a team that plays with meaning, bonds through pressure, and carries those lessons into service and life. If you care about culture, character, coaching, and the growth of rugby in the United States, this one hits home. If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show, share it with a coach or teammate, and leave a quick review to help others find it. Send a text For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. How to be a great coach Book Vol 2 is out on Amazon now Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    1h 1m
  5. Matt O'Connor: The Harsh Truths of Coaching Winning Teams

    MAR 8

    Matt O'Connor: The Harsh Truths of Coaching Winning Teams

    Pressure makes culture visible. With Matt O’Connor, we go inside elite rugby environments to show how trust, standards, and brutally honest conversations turn potential into performance. Matt’s coached at Kubota, the Brumbies, Leicester Tigers, Leinster, and the Queensland Reds, and he draws a sharp line between glossy values and the gritty, day-to-day actions that actually win games. We talk about social capital as the foundation for candor: when motives are team first and ego stays out, players accept tough feedback because they feel safe. Matt explains how Monday reviews get specific, fast, and behavior-focused, and why language—used wisely—can add urgency. He shares what the best cultures have in common: extreme expectation, accountability from kit room to captain, and a hunger to evolve before opponents catch up. You’ll hear how leader-rich squads accelerate growth, and why giving ownership to lineout callers, attack leaders, and senior players prevents wasted training weeks and builds commitment. Matt opens up about delegation mistakes, protecting young assistants too much, and the truth about managing up with boards and CEOs. He makes the case for integrity over politics while acknowledging that relationships buy time in tough seasons. We dive into recruiting for self-driven athletes, the amateur-era lesson of owning your development, and how examples like Richie McCaw show what continuous improvement looks like in practice. Along the way, we draw clear parallels to parenting and business: build good habits, make expectations explicit, and create a safe place where direct honesty is normal. If you care about leadership, culture, and high performance, this conversation gives you a practical blueprint you can apply today—on the field, in the office, or at home. If it resonated, follow the show, share it with a coach or leader who needs it, and leave a review to help others find us. Send a text For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. How to be a great coach Book Vol 2 is out on Amazon now Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    1 hr
  6. Reflections: Farewell To A Quiet Architect Of Rugby

    MAR 3

    Reflections: Farewell To A Quiet Architect Of Rugby

    A quiet architect just left the building—and the story behind his work is a masterclass in leadership. We take a clear-eyed look at Chris Lendrum’s two decades inside New Zealand Rugby, showing how a behind-the-scenes operator shaped player pathways, stabilized competitions, and helped elevate the Black Ferns with a strategy equal parts rigor and heart. This is a journey through culture you can feel the moment you walk in, and performance that holds an edge without losing its humanity. We share firsthand reflections on Lendrum’s approach to negotiation and people, and why honesty delivered with care builds trust that lasts longer than any contract. Then we break down his biggest idea: high performance lives where psychological safety meets accountability. Too much care becomes comfort; too much edge becomes fear. The real work is finding that tension point, inducting people fast, and setting standards that push without breaking. You’ll also hear a five‑minute snippet with Lendrum that turns those principles into practical tests any leader can use. From resourcing the women’s game to selecting the right head coaches, Lendrum shows that appointments are the most powerful lever in a system. Get the leaders right, and culture compounds across seasons; get them wrong, and no framework can save you. Whether you lead a team, a company, or a program, this conversation offers usable tools for building trust, sharpening standards, and sustaining excellence under pressure. If this sparks something for you, dive into the full conversation with Chris Lendrum for the complete playbook on culture, accountability, and leadership in high-stakes environments. Subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a review telling us where you’re aiming to add more edge—or more care—this week. Send a text For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    13 min
  7. Stu Woodhouse: Leading a school rugby program and an International side

    MAR 1

    Stu Woodhouse: Leading a school rugby program and an International side

    What does it take for a national team with little budget and less infrastructure to climb from 71st to 40th in the world? We sit down with Stu Woodhouse to unpack a decade leading the Philippines—where family, identity, and bravery weren’t slogans but the spine of performance. This is a story of players scattered across the globe, many who never felt “Filipino enough,” finding home in a jersey and purpose in each other. It began with connection before correction: rookies and veterans sharing hard family stories, naming values like puso, and turning history into daily habits. Lapu Lapu moved from mascot to mentor. Jerseys carried tribal markings. Match awards recognized resilience over highlights. Pride wasn’t manufactured; it was remembered. Tactics followed people. Instead of copying tier-one blueprints, Stu and his leadership group built a simple, direct model that embraced contact, field position, and clarity under pressure. They trained for heat with dawn sessions and pre-camp saunas, planned for chaos when buses didn’t show or storms hit, and leaned on small lineouts and trick plays when cohesion lagged. The common room became a classroom: phones away, guitars out, playbooks on the table, leaders leading while the staff facilitated. When the environment hums, the coach can step back. That’s not luck—it’s architecture. We also widen the lens: how resource-scarce programs teach gratitude and focus, why leadership groups need real teeth, and how culture becomes a measurable edge when it shapes decisions, language, and effort. From community visits and house-building to anthem tears and packed open trainings, performance for family became the most reliable motivator in the room. If you care about turning values into victory, designing game models that fit your people, and building leadership that sustains itself, this conversation will sharpen your craft and your compass. Subscribe, share with a coach who needs a fresh lens, and leave a review telling us the one value your team plays for. Send a text For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. How to be a great coach Book Vol 2 is out on Amazon now Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    1h 9m
  8. Stu Edwards: Looking after Coaches Mental Well Being

    FEB 25

    Stu Edwards: Looking after Coaches Mental Well Being

    Add to the research here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEaFJl2Iks5RDGq93lTXyOv3RS5SoNJsibRPVWytiQgSWarg/viewform?pli=1 What if the biggest performance edge your team is missing is the well-being of the person leading it? We sit down with Stuart Edwards—defense coach for Finland and former police officer—who’s conducting one of the first deep academic dives into stress, burnout, and support systems for rugby coaches. From community volunteers to pro environments, the patterns are striking: invisible emotional labor, chronic isolation, rising scrutiny, and very few structures designed to help coaches recover rather than just “be resilient.” Stuart pulls lessons from policing that translate directly to high-performance sport: stress accumulates quietly, peer support is non-negotiable, and leaders set the emotional tone under pressure. We unpack how those ideas become practical systems in rugby—role clarity that prevents rework and turf wars, upward feedback that aligns head coaches and executives, mentoring that provides a true critical friend, and psychological safety that lets staffs admit uncertainty and adjust fast. We also explore sustainable habits at home and on the job: no-laptop family time, post-camp decompression, walk-and-talk debriefs, and the discipline to work smarter when the instinct is to grind harder. Across candid stories and early data, one theme holds: you can’t pour into players with an empty cup. If we want sustainable performance, we must build sustainable coaches. Expect clear takeaways you can use this week—whether you run a grassroots side with limited time and too many hats, or operate under KPIs, media cycles, and board expectations. Plus, Stuart shares how to join the research, helping turn visibility into structures that protect coaches and elevate teams. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a coach who needs it, and leave a review telling us one support you’ll put in place this month. Send a text For all your sports equipment and some of the most innovative rugby products going around, head to silverfernsports.com. If you want to chat directly or explore options for your school or club, flick an email to ben@coachingculture.com.au . Great gear. Built for coaches. How to be a great coach Book Vol 2 is out on Amazon now Support the show Support those that support the show For the very best rugby gear shop here: silverfernsports.com

    57 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Coaching Culture with Ben Herring is your weekly deep-dive into the often-overlooked “softer skills” of coaching—cultural innovation, communication, empathy, leadership, dealing with stress, and motivation. Each episode features candid conversations with the world’s top international rugby coaches, who share the personal stories and intangible insights behind their winning cultures, and too their biggest failures and learnings from them. This is where X’s and O’s meet heart and soul, empowering coaches at every level to foster authentic connections, inspire their teams, and elevate their own coaching craft. If you believe that the real gold in rugby lies beyond the scoreboard, Coaching Culture is the podcast for you.

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