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Coaching Culture with Ben Herring
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.
Episodes
59 episodes
How to reduce the anxiety your players feel
The fastest way to unlock performance isn’t a new drill or a sharper playbook—it’s lowering the mental noise your athletes carry in with them. We share a simple story from a doctor’s office that proves how precise care changes state without cha...
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11:00
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Talent doesn't always win: Building culture in the Fijian Drua with Glen Jackson
Glenn Jackson's remarkable rugby journey defies conventional paths. After an impressive playing career with Bay of Plenty, the Chiefs, and Saracens (where he earned Premiership Players Player of the Year), he pivoted to become a professional re...
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53:06
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The World Is Your Classroom: How Rugby Tours Build Character. Ken Grover.
Want to find out more for how to organise a school tour:https://gullivers.com.au/rugbyschooltours/What happens when young athletes step outside their comfort zones and exper...
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58:28
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Eddie Jones on culture, risk, and advice to all coaches.
Want a culture that actually lives on the field? We sat down with Eddie Jones to unpack the coaching choices that create real belonging, sharper decision-making, and braver rugby. From leaving a safe career to grinding through 100‑player univer...
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1:01:39
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What the Best Do Differently. Insights from Rugby’s Ironman: Jimmy Gopperth
526 professional games !How do elite rugby teams cultivate environments where players willingly run through brick walls for their coaches? Jimmy Gopperth, with an unprecedented 526 professional games across 23 years at the highest levels...
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1:05:50
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Five Ways Great Coaches Anchor Teams in Tough Times
The hardest weeks test more than your game model—they test your culture. When results wobble and the temptation is to drown the room in clips, we take a different route: start with why, connect the people, and then coach the work. Drawing on st...
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21:48
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Alando Soakai: Know your product, 'The game will take care of itself'
What transforms a drinking club with a rugby problem into championship winners? According to Alando Soakai, it begins with crystal-clear values that everyone truly lives by.In this captivating conversation, Alando takes us through his r...
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48:34
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The Gold You Didn’t Know You Were Mining
Have you ever had a moment when someone's casual comment completely transformed your thinking? In this deeply personal reflection, I share three unexpected insights from players that revolutionized my coaching philosophy over decades in profess...
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13:57
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Dan McKellar on Discipline, Culture & The Dressing Shed
Have you ever wondered what truly makes a championship team culture? Dan McKellar, current Waratahs head coach with a coaching resume spanning the Brumbies, Wallabies, and Leicester Tigers, cuts through the noise with refreshing honesty and cla...
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53:23
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Pat Lam on Culture: Why Love Defines High-Performing Teams
What if the secret to building championship teams isn't found in tactics or talent, but in a single, powerful word? Pat Lam, architect of the Bristol Bears' transformation from strugglers to European powerhouse, offers a refreshing...
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59:39
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Jim McKay: “Becoming a Coach, Not Just Being One”
What truly defines a coach's legacy? For Jim Mackay, it's not the championship trophies or international honors – it's the journey of becoming and the meaningful experiences along the way.In this enlightening conversation, Jim shares hi...
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1:14:12
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Ryan Schultz: The Path From Digging Holes to Elite Rugby Coaching
Ever wonder how a guy who started his working life digging holes transformed into a rising star in rugby coaching? Ryan Schultz's journey from manual laborer to head coach at Canberra Vikings reveals the gritty reality behind professional coach...
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52:58
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REFLECTIONS: Off field equals on field
What makes championship teams truly exceptional? The answer might surprise you. It's not extraordinary talent, cutting-edge tactics, or even flawless execution during competition—it's what happens when nobody's keeping score.Drawing fro...
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21:06
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Greg Peters: The Shift Every Coach and Leader Must Make
What does it truly mean to build an authentic culture in high-performance sports? Greg Peters, whose remarkable 25-year career spans leadership roles at Bay of Plenty Rugby, New Zealand Rugby Union, the Hurricanes, Argentina Rugby, SANZAR, and ...
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51:16
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Wal Herring: Feed Your Potential: Concussion, Womans high performance and Personalized Nutrition
If you want to book Wal for your team you can reach her here: wal@walherring.comor check out her womans wellness programs here: Walherring.comWhat if everything you see on your body was made from what you ate at some point? This p...
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1:13:48
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Mike Friday: Rugby Is What You Do, Not Who You Are
What does it really mean to build a winning culture in sports? Few coaches can answer this question with the depth and global perspective of Mike Friday, international rugby sevens coach whose 25-year journey has taken him from England to Kenya...
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1:04:12
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REFLECTIONS: The Power of Team Cohesion
The quest for high performance in team sports often leads coaches down the wrong path. What if the secret to winning isn't about collecting the most talented individuals, but something far more fundamental?Ben Darwin's groundbreaking re...
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15:11
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Chris Boyd: Leadership Trumps Management
What if everything you thought about building team culture was wrong? Chris Boyd, the celebrated coach who transformed teams from the Hurricanes to Northampton Saints, challenges conventional wisdom by arguing that "culture grows organically an...
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1:04:06
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REFLECTIONS Interpersonal Sensitivity (The Secret Weapon of Elite Coaches)
The difference between good coaches and great ones isn't found in tactical knowledge or technical expertise—it's their ability to read people. This fascinating exploration of interpersonal sensitivity reveals why the world's elite coaches prior...
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23:15
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Joey Mongalo: Learn from Everyone, Everywhere: The World as Your Leadership Library
What makes a great coach? Joey Mongalo, defense coach at the Sharks in Durban, doesn't hesitate when answering this question: it's the ability to understand context, connect authentically, and treat leadership as a core skill rather than a "sof...
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1:06:27
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REFLECTIONS Taming Your Coach's Ego
The silent opponent every coach must face isn't on the field—it's within. This episode dives deep into the complex relationship coaches have with their egos and how mastering (not eliminating) this powerful force can transform your leadership.<...
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18:05
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Seilala Mapusua: Understanding Polynesian Players.
Seilala Mapusua takes us on a profound journey through the cultural landscapes of rugby, drawing from his remarkable career spanning from Samoa to New Zealand's Otago, London Irish in England, and Japan's Kubota Spears.At the heart of t...
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46:45
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James Doleman: How Referees Shape Rugby's Culture Beyond the Rules
When James Dolman steps onto a rugby field to referee a test match, he carries years of mental preparation, relationship-building, and self-reflection with him. In this revealing conversation with Ben Herring, Dolman takes us behind the scenes ...
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1:07:28
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