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. Tony Shaw on Rugby Toughness & Culture: “If You Want Comfort, You’re in the Wrong Game”

    2D AGO

    Tony Shaw on Rugby Toughness & Culture: “If You Want Comfort, You’re in the Wrong Game”

    Culture isn’t a poster on the wall. It’s what your team does when nobody is watching, when someone gets dropped, and when the trip gets uncomfortable. I’m joined by Wallabies legend and former Rugby Australia president Tony Shaw to get practical about what team culture really is, how leadership actually works inside a squad, and why “how we do things around here” beats any fancy mission statement. We dig into the old touring era and why long tours built a kind of camaraderie that modern schedules struggle to recreate. Tony shares stories that are hilarious on the surface, but they carry real coaching lessons about standards, accountability, and how quickly a group can fracture if trust disappears. We also talk selection. Tony makes the case for captain involvement and clear communication, because silence creates problems and honest feedback, delivered well, keeps teams together. We finish with a grounded look at Australian rugby today: grassroots participation, the rise of women’s rugby and sevens, and why Tony believes the game is in better shape than the doomers admit. If you care about rugby leadership, coaching culture, and building teams players actually want to be part of, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a coach or captain you rate, and leave a review with the one culture habit you think matters most. 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
  2. Felipe Contepomi: When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Biggest Flaw

    5D AGO

    Felipe Contepomi: When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Biggest Flaw

    What if passion isn’t the finish line but the fuel—and only excellence keeps the engine from overheating? We sit down with Hall of Famer and Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi to unpack a coaching philosophy that’s as rigorous as it is human: high standards matched with high support. From Buenos Aires to the global stage, Felipe explains how the Pumas preserve their Latin fire while adopting the precision and discipline that turn emotion into execution. We trace his journey from captain to coach and the mentors who shaped him—Marcelo Loffreda on turning adversity into opportunity, Michael Cheika on a winning mindset, and Stuart Lancaster and Leo Cullen on elite preparation and people-first leadership. Felipe opens up about unconscious bias in selection, why leaders must make it conscious to stay fair, and how he uses feedback (even anonymous) to hunt blind spots. His rule of thumb is simple: reward effortful errors, reject negligence, and keep your actions aligned with your words. You’ll hear how Argentina’s club culture powers participation and identity, why a central performance hub helps scattered pros reconnect, and how peer coaching compresses learning time. Felipe’s mantra to “coach live” is a masterclass in practical development: correct the line now, rerun the rep now, reinforce the win now. We dig into talent versus desire, the art of mentoring across decade-wide age gaps, and the belief that rugby is a means—not an end—to teach values like respect, resilience, and accountability. If you care about team culture, leadership, player development, and sustainable pathways, you’ll find a blueprint here: balance passion with excellence, define standards clearly, and support people to reach them. Listen, share with a coach or teammate who needs this, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what standard will you raise 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

    1 hr

  3. APR 1

    The Right Music Turns A Group Into A Team

    The fastest way to change a team’s mood might be sitting right on the gym wall: the speaker. We get into a simple coaching decision that quietly shapes everything that follows training effort, energy, and unity. When anyone can grab the iPad and throw on whatever track they feel like, the room drifts. But when the music matches the purpose of the session, it becomes a cue. Just like calm sound belongs in yoga, high-intensity gym music can help rugby players switch on, lift hard, and move with intent. From there we zoom out to a tradition that outsiders often shrug off as “just banter” singing. Rugby teams have always sung on buses and in changing rooms, and there’s real psychology behind why it works. We break down three powerful effects: singing creates belonging through synchronized rhythm and oxytocin-driven bonding, it helps regulate emotion by lowering stress and boosting mood, and it reinforces team identity by carrying a shared story that outlives any single season. If you care about mental well-being, trust, and performance culture, this is a surprisingly practical tool. We also talk about how to implement it without forcing it: lean on leaders, pick songs with meaning, teach the lyrics, and make the “why” clear so it never feels random. If you’re building team culture in rugby or any high-performance environment, you’ll leave with an easy ritual you can start this week. Subscribe, share this with a coach or captain, and leave a review telling us what song your team should claim. 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

    12 min
  4. Ben John: Building Community And Skill In Online Rugby

    MAR 29

    Ben John: Building Community And Skill In Online Rugby

    What if online coaching didn’t just deliver drills but built a real sense of belonging? We sit down with Ben John—ex-Ospreys center and the force behind The Rugby Trainer—to explore how a lockdown idea became a global coaching platform that helps players love the craft, master the details, and feel part of something bigger than themselves. Ben shares the simple cornerstone of his method: a ten-minute habit and a skill flywheel. Players work a focused skill alone, try it at team training, then test it in games—looping back whenever the game reveals gaps. Along the way, he reframes “fun” as the engine of progress: not just laughter, but energy, variety, creativity, and competition that keep people engaged. He pushes against social media perfection by asking for three messy minutes instead of polished highlights, because mistakes are the most honest data a coach can use. We dig into the off-ball toolkit that changes games at any level—move, scan, communicate—and how to teach presence with a simple switch on, switch off routine. Ben opens up about learning public speaking, using AI to triage questions while keeping feedback human, and running monthly webinars where players and parents talk about confidence and big-match prep. Even his occasional trick shots have intent: widen reach, get more people to pick up a rugby ball, and model the grind of learning through failure. If you coach, parent, or play, you’ll leave with practical ways to build habits that stick, design sessions that feel alive, and teach athletes to coach themselves. Want more? Subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review with the one idea you’ll try 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 3m
  5. When Kids Tackle Their Dads They Learn Faster

    MAR 24

    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
  6. Greg Cooper: Character will beat talent.

    MAR 22

    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
  7. 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 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

    12 min
  8. 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 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
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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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