Coaching Culture with Ben Herring

Ben Herring
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Rugby
  • 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. 12h ago

    Nili Latu: The Untold Story of Tonga's Warrior Captain

    Some leaders earn trust with speeches. Nili Latu earned it by taking hits, taking responsibility, and taking care of people when nobody else would. From captaining Tonga through chaotic tours and unpaid campaigns to coaching a new generation back home, Nili’s story is a masterclass in coaching culture, Pacific Island leadership, and what “service” really means in high-performance sport.  We talk about leaving Tonga at 10, learning rugby and English in New Zealand, and carrying the pressure so many Tongan rugby players feel to provide for family. Nili explains why he chose overseas rugby in Japan and beyond, how sport can bring a country together in dark moments, and what captaincy looks like when you’re also solving pay disputes, flights, and politics behind the scenes. If you’ve ever wondered what leadership is when the system is messy, this conversation goes there.  Then we get into identity and performance. Nili shares how he rebuilds team culture with mafana, the warm heart that makes Tongan teams fearless, and the kafa, a powerful symbol of being tied to your land and people wherever you play. We also talk about the reality of transitioning out of professional rugby, the isolation that can hit hard, and how Nili found peace by letting go of rigid goals and trusting God’s plan.  If you care about rugby coaching, leadership, team culture, or player development, you’ll take notes here. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this with a coach or teammate, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    Nili Latu: The Untold Story of Tonga's Warrior Captain

  2. Nov 1

    My All Blacks Regret, Rassie Erasmus & the Truth About Coaching

    The best coaching stories aren’t about the whiteboard, they’re about what happens years later when an old player stops traffic just to give you a hug. That’s where this conversation with John Plumtree goes fast: past trophies and into the parts of rugby coaching and leadership that actually last. Plum has coached at the highest levels with the Sharks, the Hurricanes, Ireland, and the All Blacks, and he brings a grounded view of culture that cuts through the usual slogans. We talk about the hidden cost of high performance sport, especially the way coaching can swallow your time and identity if you let it. Plum shares how he thinks about being the best version of himself for his wife, his kids, and his team, plus what changes when you start stepping back from full-time head coaching. From there we get into the real mechanics of pressure: aligning with owners, boards, and stakeholders, and why head coaches are constantly managing three very different relationship groups at once. Then we go deep on building a winning team culture. Plum’s definition is refreshingly direct: culture is the quality of the people in the building. We unpack what that means for hiring, coaching staff cohesion, and the “triangle” between CEO, head coach, and high performance leadership. He also reflects on international coaching, where selection can matter as much as training, and he shares a rare hindsight lesson from his time with the All Blacks that every ambitious coach will recognize. If you care about rugby leadership, coaching culture, and building teams that stay connected under stress, you’ll get plenty from this one. Subscribe, share it with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    My All Blacks Regret, Rassie Erasmus & the Truth About Coaching

  3. Oct 27

    The School That Produces Chile's Rugby Captains | The Grange School

    A school with 2,100 students shouldn’t feel like a family, yet that’s exactly what we found at Grange School in Santiago, Chile. I’m joined by Francesco “Pancho” Pinha, former Chile captain, lifelong teacher, and the proud tradition keeper who helps explain why this program keeps producing an extraordinary share of Chile’s national team players and leaders. We talk about what “culture” looks like when it’s lived for decades: consistency over many years, coaches who care, and fundamentals done well. Pancho breaks down a simple leadership system that’s anything but easy, giving young players real roles early, letting them make mistakes, and expecting them to own the results. That repetition turns leadership into a habit, not a speech you give before kickoff. We also get into the power of rituals and standards, from house colors and school traditions to the famous striped kit that has to be earned. Along the way, Pancho shares why rugby uniquely teaches respect, how alumni keep the program thriving, and what he hopes every student carries into adult life long after the last whistle. If you care about coaching culture, youth leadership development, rugby values, and building a team identity that lasts, hit subscribe, share this with a coach or teacher, and leave a review. What’s one small standard you’d protect in your own program? Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    The School That Produces Chile's Rugby Captains | The Grange School

  4. Oct 23

    How a State School Built a Rugby Powerhouse | Northampton School for Boys

    A state school winning at Twickenham sounds like a fairy tale until you hear how Northampton School for Boys actually built it. We sit down with Phil Beaumont and Simon Heffer, the leaders behind NSB rugby’s decade-long rise from six teams to 18 teams and hundreds of players, all in a non-selective, lottery-intake comprehensive where rugby is optional. What makes it work is not a single golden generation, it’s a repeatable system that keeps producing confident players and tight-knit squads year after year. We dig into the real mechanics: rebuilding the fixture card so more boys get meaningful games, funding long trips with sponsors and volunteers, and creating a true community rugby model with local clubs. Phil and Simon explain why partnerships beat isolation, how aligning terminology with the Northampton Saints pathway helps player development, and why their goal is bigger than silverware. For most kids, success means staying in the sport for life, whether that’s a first team jersey or a club’s fourth XV on Saturday. Culture is the through-line. You’ll hear how NSB builds a player-led environment, why “blind trust” becomes a core value, and how leadership is trained with defined roles plus a simple ritual: Monday lunch with the team’s leaders to reflect, plan, and own the week. If you coach youth sports, run a school program, or care about grassroots rugby growth, this one is packed with ideas you can steal. If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe, share it with a coach or teacher who needs it, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    How a State School Built a Rugby Powerhouse | Northampton School for Boys

  5. Oct 21

    The Hidden Cost Of Poor Culture

    Poor culture doesn’t just create problems you can see. It quietly steals the best parts of your team: the extra effort people would have given, the performance you expected from talented staff, and the potential that never gets a chance to emerge. We bring a high performance lens from elite sport into everyday leadership, because the same culture patterns show up in offices, businesses, and teams of every kind. We unpack three big costs. First, lost effort: when people do “just enough” because they don’t feel connected, valued, or involved. Second, lost performance: when fear of mistakes turns smart people cautious, and accountability becomes pressure without support. Third, lost potential: the ideas never shared, the growth never attempted, and the future leaders who stay quiet because the environment teaches them to play it safe. Along the way, we share practical culture tools you can use immediately, including one ownership-building question to ask your team, and a better way to respond when something goes wrong: focus on intent and learning, not blame. If you care about employee engagement, psychological safety, accountability, and building a high performance culture that actually delivers results, this one is for you. Subscribe for more leadership and culture insights, share this with a teammate, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one small change you could make this week to lift your culture? Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    The Hidden Cost Of Poor Culture

  6. Oct 18

    What 17,500 Boys Really Want From Adults | Tauranga Boys' Principal Andy Turner

    A school can have great buildings, strong results, and a proud sports history and still miss the thing that actually makes young people thrive. We sit down with Andy Turner, principal of Tauranga Boys’ College in New Zealand, to unpack what he calls “invisible strength” and why school culture and team culture start with beliefs and values long before they show up as traditions, standards, or slogans. We get specific about boys’ education and leadership: the biggest message young men share is simple and confronting, they want to know someone believes in them. Andy explains how belief works like a jump start, activating identity and helping a student reconnect with what matters to him. From there we talk practical culture tools, including a cornerstone of respect, the challenge of creating alignment across classrooms and sports programs, and why consistency matters more than having the perfect script. The conversation also goes deeper into intrinsic motivation, emotional regulation, and resilience. We explore how boys navigate modern pressures around identity, how leaders can give permission to try and fail safely, and why learning to fall is essential in a world where “failure” is often simulated and reset online. Andy’s final analogy, grandma’s cooking, nails the point: two environments can look the same on the surface, but care and intention change how it feels to belong. If you care about coaching, culture, education, or raising confident young men, you will take something useful from this one. Subscribe, share it with a coach or teacher you respect, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    What 17,500 Boys Really Want From Adults | Tauranga Boys' Principal Andy Turner

  7. Oct 13

    The Three Bs Of Modern Coaching | Keynotes & Workshops

    Coaching hasn’t gotten softer, it’s gotten more human. We’re seeing it in sport, in business, and in everyday workplace leadership: the old model where players and employees simply adapt to the coach does not hold up the way it used to. So we share the framework we teach in our Coaching Culture workshops and keynotes, built for modern coaching, modern teams, and modern expectations. We walk through the Three Bs of modern coaching: Build, Bring, Become. First, we build the environment and team culture before we obsess over tactics, drills, and technique. Using a classroom analogy, we explain why the “content” is often the same everywhere, yet the best leaders create conditions where people learn faster, feel safer, and perform better. Then we shift to bringing out the best in people, including practical tools you can use immediately: win the first 30 seconds with real connection, use a five-to-one ratio of positive reinforcement to constructive feedback, and catch people doing things right, then recognize it publicly. Finally, we dig into becoming a better coach and leader through reflective practice. We challenge the idea that experience automatically equals development, talk about why teams mirror the leader, and share simple methods like recording yourself and asking three quick questions after each session: what worked, what didn’t, and what you’ll do differently next time. If you care about modern coaching, leadership development, team culture, employee engagement, or high-performance environments, this one is packed with actionable takeaways. Subscribe, share it with a coach or manager, and leave a review with the one “B” you’re working on right now. Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

  8. Oct 10

    Turning a Struggling Irish School Back Into a Rugby Powerhouse | Sean Skehan

    A coach can win games and still lose the room. Sean Skehan joins us to get brutally honest about what actually holds a rugby program together when pressure hits, emotions run high, and real life at home is waiting after the final whistle. We start with parenting and identity, because becoming a dad forces Sean to rethink anxiety, post-loss frustration, and the discipline of being fully present, lessons that transfer straight into leadership and coaching culture. From there, we dig into the nuts and bolts of team culture in schoolboy rugby at Terranure College and across Leinster Schools. Sean defines culture as the daily reality of an environment, then explains why the best programs run on a few clear trademarks instead of a bloated playbook. For Terranure, it’s fight, flare, and community. We unpack how those ideas show up in training design, gym standards, review habits, and what Sean calls emotional defense, where defending becomes an act of love for teammates, supporters, and the institution itself. We also get practical about performance and development: success intentions that go beyond win-loss, mission control versus command control, and how to hand ownership to players through scenario training and player-led review. Sean finishes with a hot take that sparks debate: why a knockout cup format can be great for long-term player development because it raises preparation standards and creates transferable high-wire pressure. If you care about rugby coaching, leadership, team culture, or building a youth sports program that lasts, this one is packed with tools you can use today. Subscribe, share it with a coach or parent, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Send us Fan Mail Silverfern Sports If you need great rugby gear, Silverfern are the best. Innovative high quality rugby kit. info@coachingculture.com.au Support the show Subscribe and Share, it makes a massive difference! Appreciation in advance.

    Turning a Struggling Irish School Back Into a Rugby Powerhouse | Sean Skehan
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 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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