The Hardest Transition Of My Life Nemani Nandolo

What happens when a record-setting, globe-trotting winger trades the try line for a whiteboard? We sit down with Nems to explore how he’s building the Fijian Drua development pathway with a people-first approach that still demands edge. From Leicester’s cold logic of the kicking game to the Crusaders’ obsession with nailing roles, he unpacks the methods that actually travel—and the ones that don’t.

We get honest about what it takes to coach in Fiji, where players often support entire families and arrive with extraordinary talent but limited exposure to weights, nutrition, or film study. Nems shares how he teaches with video for visual learners, sets simple tactical rules that hold under pressure, and creates real-world structure by sending players to work one day a week and pushing for vocational certificates. This is development beyond drills: life skills, identity, and resilience built alongside game plans.

On the field, he shows why purposeful kicking wins territory and how to coach bravery without breaking bodies. Off the field, he proves that care is a competitive advantage—knowing a player’s family, giving grace when life hits hard, and earning the right to demand more. He explains why doubling down on strengths beats chasing every weakness, and how one-on-one clarity turns raw potential into reliable performance. We also dive into retirement’s invisible toll, the value of taking time to reflect, and the simple habits—consistency and effort—that move careers forward.

If you care about rugby culture, player development, and coaching that respects context, this conversation will sharpen your toolkit. Subscribe, share with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your favorite insight so we can keep raising the game together.

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Transcript

Welcome And Nems’ Journey Snapshot

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I grew up in Australia for 18 years of my life. Then I lived overseas, travelled the world like a gypsy for 15 years, so where am I from? Don't need to be talented to be a good rugby player. I think you just can't beat um guys who wanna put their heads in in in dark places. In Fiji, the rugby players, they're bred when it's for their whole family. I can be that hot-headed guy making sure we get things done, you know, in the way that obviously they understand it, but off the field is that the that empathy, making sure they're alright. You know, it's just trying to find peace. You know, and I don't care what anyone says. Retiring from professional sport has got to be the hardest thing anyone can do.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Welcome to Coaching Culture, the podcast about cultivating culture and leadership. I'm Ben Herring, I've been loving this side of the game for bloody ages. Today's guest is Domani Nandolo. NEMS, as he is known, is one of the most well-travelled professional rugby players in the game. A powerhouse winger, yet quick, agile, and an excellent goal kicker to boot. His playing journey has seen him represent NEC in Japan, Montpellier in France, Leicester in England, Crusaders in New Zealand, and the Fijian national team. He is reasonably new retired, and NEMS has dabbled in business and commentating and now is starting up his coaching journey, returning to Fiji, where he is the Fijian Druwer development coach. Nems, welcome to the Coaching Culture podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Thank you so much for having me. It's uh it's an honor to be here, mate. So yeah, thank you for uh taking a punt on uh old Nimi here.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Well, mate, it's it's a cool little journey you're on because you're right at the start of your coaching. You you've been retired for about three years now, you've had that transition. Now you're rolling into the Fiji and Drew development coach. Now, how how's that, mate? What what does that role entail and how are you finding it?

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Yeah, so you know, um, first of all, I'm I'm blessed in that sense to be part of uh um one of the most um proudest franchise, I guess, in Super Rugby. Everyone loves it draw, I guess it's everyone's second teams. Um, yeah, to be the development coach, uh, an opportunity came up um was it late last year? Uh, you know, we were like, I was like, yep, I took it. I didn't even see the contract to be fair. I did I just I just agreed to it. And so we'd moved our whole family here and uh and signed anything. So we'd moved in in August, said yep, it was all verbal, and as you know, and on the island sometimes verbal takes a long time. And thankfully I had another my other job and which I'm still working out, but and I didn't see the I didn't sign on till I think two weeks from uh a week before preseason started, and uh yeah, so mate, that's just how much I love Fiji, and I guess being given the

Taking The Drua Development Role

SPEAKER_00 3:00

opportunity to give back is uh yeah, being the development coach, and I think the best thing about coaching development is I get to s work with young men, guys who want to aspire to be flying Fijians and and and play for the Drua. So um it got my work cut out, that's for sure. But mate, it's uh tell you what, it gets me up every morning. And you do long hours, as you know, is coaching. You know, we we're up at well, I'm up at six, and then you don't get home till six, seven. So the wife definitely sees it. I don't, I I just you know, that's that um I do 12 hour days and you don't even know it. That's how much I I love it. So but yeah, it's um it's been a great journey so far, man. It's just been pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Yeah, it's exciting, isn't it? It's uh it's cool to see when what what are you finding like is the biggest transition piece for you from playing to coaching? What what what's what are you finding hard? What are you finding your challenges?

SPEAKER_00 3:56

I think yeah, the wouldn't say challenge, more work on is how I transfer my knowledge to the players. So, you know, like in terms of how I see things and how I see the game, in my mind, and this is where um you know I've learned to, you know, from obviously older coaches, and I talk to a lot of the um coaches and you know get advice from them. And the biggest thing that, you know, keeps getting telling me is that I get told is the image and the the the way you see the game is different to the way someone else sees the game. So what I think might be, yep, is easy to do, might be a bit not a bit challenging, but might be that they have it a different way. So it's trying to find that language for me is trying to find the language on how I how I transfer, you know, my knowledge and what I've how I look, you know, how the game should how I think the game's played and and like ways of how to play, and it's just trying to transfer that knowledge. And it's been challenging, but the good thing is I've um, you know, I've got some good coaches that I work under at at the Drewer, and just, you know, I'm I'm like that leech. Like I'm just always asking questions. I probably piss them off more times than anything because I sit in the coach, so there's obviously Chris Gibbs, Tim Sampson, there's Greg, who's our uh Ford's coach, and obviously Glenn Jackson. So we sit in the horseshoe. And obviously, you know, super rugby, they're all tense, as you know, you're all in there, and obviously the development coaches here. And I help with the back three in defense, so I'm still doing a bit of stuff there, but mate, it's almost still bad asking questions because they're like new ones. But you know, I'm I'm big on the stupid questions, a question never asked, Yami. So um, yeah, you know, and like I said, I I've learned so much from them, and um, I'm the sort of person that I want to learn. Like I'm a sponge, whether you're a club coach at premier grade level or you're at the international level, I'm big on learning and because there's you know, I one thing I realize is I'm a big believer that coaches should really get together and share knowledge, you know, because rugby is literally played rugby's a simple game. Everyone just has their ways, but I just I'm a big believer in sitting down with you or sitting down with, you know, John who who coaches Jeeps down the road or some and just having truly chewing the fat around rugby, how it's played, because you know, such like I said, it's it's when you hear how people when you hear the mindset of how people see the game, I think it's it's lovely. You know, I'm just big on learning right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

I love it. And I I I don't think you go wrong with the questions either, by the way, because you you want your players to be full of questions if they've got an unsure question. So as the example of of the leader and the coach, surely you should be doing that as well, right? Like I think some of the the best head coaches I know ask a lot of questions themselves.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

And you've got to, like, because you know, there's you find now in the game when you come up with something, you're always going to get questioned, you know, like, okay, well, what's the outcome of this or what's that? And some, you know, like I said, uh the game's always, there's always two sides to the coin, I feel. Like, you know, if you run a uh you know, a play, why did you do that? Oh yeah, someone might say because of this. Well, hold on, what about this guy? Who are we sitting? And like there's so many variables in in you know in the game. So that's what I love about you know, I love asking questions and just talking. Sometimes it might not make sense, it might not, you know, I might not understand it, but like when we

From Player To Coach: Translating Knowledge

SPEAKER_00 7:30

talk about scrums and lineouts, but you know, I listen.

SPEAKER_02 7:33

Just push harder, that's all you need to do. That's our roles. And mate, you said this, which I think is a really interesting point to I reckon it's really important when you start coaching is how do you learn to transfer what's in my mind to the players? Have you had any specific ways so far? No, it's still early days, but anything which has worked for you where you've gone, oh, that's a good way to get things across.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

So I uh I'm big on like so I I I like to show clips of what I'm thinking. So, like, say for instance, and this thing I learned too from other coaches, um, was finding, you know, like say for instance, a kick chase. So I'm big on um the things that you don't teach, you know, and I'm sure every coach is where um, you know, like a kick chase, you don't need to teach that, you just need to have the you know the the attitude to chase the ball. So I would if I can't fight if I find it hard to do it, I will find a clip from, you know, it could be anywhere in the world and be like, this is what I'm talking about, boys. So just stuff like that, trying to show image like visual, particularly here in Fiji, where like myself, Fijians we're visual people. So we need to see see it to learn it, if that makes sense. So you can't like read it as well, generally speaking. Yeah, yes. And and again, it it's you know, Fiji people think, you know, like I grew up in the Australian rugby system, so and then obviously it played rugby all over the world, but it's completely different to how rugby is played here in Fiji. You know what I mean? We're uh we're very relaxed people, but it's trying to find that and I'm still trying to find it, it's trying to find that way to what makes them tick. Do you know what I mean? What makes them tick? What is it that gets them up? And so it's been a good challenge for me. And I'll be honest, like, yes, I'm Fijian, I'm full Fijian, my my mum and dad Fijian, but I grew up in Australia, so coming back to Fiji, I'm still learning, I'm learning the game of how we play. And people may laugh at that and think, oh, well, you're a fake Fijian, you're a plastic Fijian. But you know, it's it's not that easy. Like the boys here uh they play a different style, a different way. It's been a good learning for me as well.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Do you have to find your um not only the Fijian way of playing rugby, but also the Fijian way of living and the culture? Do you have to get back into that side of things as well?

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Yeah, 100% 100%, Jamie. Like, for instance, you know, one thing I've I've I've um I've realized here and I've learned from guys is that in Fiji, the rugby players, they're breadwinners for their whole family. Okay. So you know how the biggest difference is like the dieting, the nutrition. You know, we we do our part and you know, we we educate the boys on nutrition and whatnot. But our culture is what makes us different to, you know, other teams. So for instance, you know, having a yogurt and berries and oats for breakfast. That's the norm. See, we wouldn't have that. We're we're teaching that to the boys, but as Fijians, we eat together when it's not like I'll have oats and it's it's like we all eat together as in we'll have a loaf of bread. So our the food is different and how how they eat, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Yeah, so there's like a cultural thing with your family, like you to go and eat muesli and berries and sort of a high performance athletic diet by yourself.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Where it doesn't you wouldn't do that here because it's like we're still because we are and we are new to the professional game. On Ireland, we're the for five years we've it's the first professional setup or high performance team or s of any sport we've had on the island. You gotta we are still learning to to to learn how to be professional athletes. You know, so can you imagine the boys at the top squad now they've been here for five years, they're now starting to know the effects of okay, well, this is what it takes to be a professional regular. So can you imagine that the development when you've got kids straight out of the village or straight out of school raw talent can burn you, can step you in a telephone box, but wouldn't know how to eat, wouldn't know the nutrition side of things, wouldn't know how to lift weights, but they've got five percent skin fall. You know what I mean? Five percent body fat. It's that and like it's you know, it's it can't it's overwhelming at times because you're like, wow. And then from that, and then that's that aspect. Then it's like the knowledge of the game. So it's you know, as you I always say compare it to like in Australia or New Zealand, these guys are uh are in the weights room at what 14, 15, 16.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:19

You you you're in the setup there, and yeah, what's the youngest age where they start doing weights and pals and all that?

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Well, mate, we that's right. Well, we start at sort of 14 years or old, the boys are into their not big weights,

Asking Questions And Learning From Staff

SPEAKER_02 12:30

just bodyweight stuff, but by the time they f are leaving school, some of those guys are ready to go into professional setups and be fine. They know all the lifts, they're all completely confident in the gym across the board. Like that they've trained in a professional setup. At the schools here in Australia, it's unreal.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Yeah. So we when they come to the development squad, it'll be like a 14-year-old teaching them again how to lift, how to stuff, how to what the nutritionists, what's the skin fold, what's your velocity jump, and and all that stuff. You know what I'm saying? So it's exciting rugby players, like very, very talented. But it's that other side of being a professional rugby player where is we're still having to catch up. And and that's gonna come over time. It just it's just the way it is here. But it's great, it it's it's a good challenge, especially for me. Like, like I said, trying to tell these guys, you know, trainings, it's it's more I always tell people we're coaching, but we're also teachers as well. You know, like coaching rugby. So you're rugby, you're teaching them how to play rugby, but you're also teaching them about life, what it's like to be a professional rugby player. And and the biggest thing I'm big on here at Drewer is teaching them to be good men off the field.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Is that an issue?

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Well, you know, I mean yes, I think because well they come straight out of s some of them will come from the village and they'll go into you know, we we live in Nundi, so it's a very touristy town and whatnot. So it's you know it's just trying to teach them like being aware of things, you know, and it's like a yes, everyone likes a beer, but and everyone likes a drink, but it's trying to how do you and you know, I used I'd love beers, as you know, in Japan I'd let you drink till they had the Well, you're the example, mate.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

You've been you had 15 years playing professionally and some up and down periods, right? So you know very well firsthand and yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

And you know, Jeremy, the the good thing is like when I see that it's one thing I've learned, it's just I was in that shoe, I was in their place before one time. Do you know what I mean? So it's trying to balance things as well as a coach, but as not as a coach, but also as a as a human side as well. A lot of these guys come from nothing. You know, they like I said, they're breadwinners for their family. So it's like, okay, we gotta make sure first that their well-being is okay, that they're all right, you know, and then okay, then let's go play rate B, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

So part of your role in this development team is is just a is a lot of it is sort of sharing your experiences too, right? Like just because you've been there, you've been in their shoes, you've understood it, you understand the whole process from when they start to 15 years later when they retire, and then they have their transition to the next, you've you've done that. So that's the value in a development coach of someone that's been there, done that, right? Like you're coaching everything about the professional athlete becoming professional. And here's a few tips, here's a few pointers, here's a few potholes you might hit along the way. Here's something to think about. Here's a good agent, here's a bad one, here's all that stuff, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:35

Exactly right. And you know, even with agents, so like you know, guys of the boys are coming to me about agents, like advice around agents. And as you know, it can be Wild West here, and you know, so a lot of it, and you're right, a lot of it is just me sharing my experiences. And I always tell them, my walk and your walk two different, but if you can hear my side of the story, that way you might get an insight into what you're going through. And I can guarantee you in my short time here, there's there's there's issues that we face as a squad and stuff that I haven't been through before. You know what I mean? So, and that's what excites me as well, is because I've been in those shoes, and um, like for instance, a lot of these guys would finish school and they they would come straight into a professional setup. So I've set up what I've done is one day a week, I send them out to go to work. So they go work for a um one of our sponsors, which is a water company, right? So all my all the the development players, one day a week, they get in the truck and they go deliver water all over CG. And they're putting it. And that's like weightlifting, right? Like that's like 50 kilos a pop, right? So yeah, like, and yeah, it's 15 kilos. So over time, I'm sure it's gonna get heavy. Just, you know, and and like that as well. That's life, life, you know, lessons. And I think, you know, because I didn't make it straight out of high school. I had to go to work and I understood what you know that work is, you know, you have to work for your money. And so to teach these guys that at this stage of their career, you know, like they they're going out to do heavy labor, like manual labor, you know, and you know, it teaches them another side that, you know, if you don't play rugby, you know, if you don't take this seriously or if rugby doesn't work out, you know, you've got you've got to find a plan B. So, you know, and the and another thing I'm trying to bring in too is studying, trying to find work with you know, local polytechs and stuff here where we can do cert threes and stuff so that,

Coaching With Clips And Visual Learning

SPEAKER_00 17:30

you know, when our boys do finish, they've got a cert three in, you know, plumbing or cert three in something, construction or something. So I'm not only preparing them to be rugby players, but I'm also preparing them to be human beings outside of the game and know that it's not just right, because right like in Fiji, our goal when we grow up is we want to play Fiji. And I've realized that we want to play rugby, we want to go, and that's fine and all, and I'm all for that. But then the question is what happens if you don't? And this is where I'm trying to bridge that gap and you know, and it's good, you can see a bit of change. Guys are like starting to ask questions about okay, well, can I do a construction, can I do a you know, electrician course or something here? So, you know, and and I kind of that for me is the biggest, you know, like a uh get a kick out of that.

SPEAKER_02 18:22

Yeah. I think that's amazing, mate. And I think it's um it's important that you have people there. And rugby's a good context to have it there too, because you can't train like uh in a rugby team like you train for other sports, just because of the physical requirements, you can't train for eight hours straight. Although some Japanese team we were with uh often gave that a good nudge, but on the whole, you can't. But yeah, so like it like other sports, like a lot of sports like swimming, where there's a lot of repetition, you can just go and go and go. It's just about volume, cycling, running. There's just a volume piece. Whereas rugby you can't, because you will break if you train more than. And so you've got this other time, right, to then work on the other bit of rugby because it's a human game, it's an emotional game, it's a chaotic game, which is like life, right? So it's the same skills that you're preparing for a game, is actually very balanced with life. Yeah. Now, one thing we were talking about off the NM's, which I hope you don't mind me asking, mate, is just the the this transition that you had, like, and everyone has, and it's a fascinating one for coaches just to be aware of, I reckon, when players transition from professional careers, and I've seen it myself, I've been through, and I think it's all professional players, but not even professional. It's it's all players. When you stop playing rugby and that camaraderie, the identity, the the sort of easily definable purpose for what you're doing, changes, right? Like, and you've got to go through a little transitioning period where you're refin, you know, redefining your identity, who you are now that you're not a rugby player first and foremost. How's that journey been made? I know it's still fresh for you. How how do you how do you find it?

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Yeah, I I'd like to think I'm I'm sort of at the end of that. I'm coming towards the end of that that life, you know, trying to find your life, your feet after rugby. And, you know, I I remember when I was I was at the Waratars in 2023, which was my last club. Ironically, it was my first club. But anyway, so I had I had an opportunity to go to Japan to play uh for a year there. So we're in negotiations with the clubs there, and then I'd hit 35. And I always said if I could ever make it to 35, I'd live. You know, I I it was the right time for me. Um, you know, I had a few injuries, but I, you know, I reckon if I I could probably still soldier on. But um I for me, I didn't I knew that I was gonna retire and I didn't want to um delay the inevitable, you know, so I so it was funny, like I said, off off air. I two weeks after I retired, I'd started work. Like I literally went from that to that, into the office, I was a um assistant to HI and I just stopped rugby like for a whole year I stopped watching it, didn't care too much about it, and then you know, I played, I'd go down and try and play club rugby, but just wasn't for me. And yeah, I just jumped. I jumped from that to I had a lawn mowing business, and then after that, I went from lawn mowing business cutting grass, and that was pretty lonely. Uh probably not the best thing to do after you've retired, where you're already hating the world and you're now in so I was cutting people's grass, and you know, you're getting the odd worst customer in the world, whatever. You're getting it's and you know, you just take it with the goes. But then, yeah, I just it was it was hard. Like you're trying to find yours, you're trying to find your yourself, rugby finishes. And you know, it's my way of sort of trying to escape things or like trying to get away is trying to just move on and try and keep myself busy. So that's what I did. I drove, I went myself busy to the point where I just had enough and my body just gave out. I just, yeah, I just couldn't take it.

Culture, Nutrition, And Becoming Pro In Fiji

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Physically exhausted, and then it wasn't until I sort of moved to Melbourne. So we moved to Melbourne. Originally from Brisbane, I said, look, let's get out of here. Let's go to Melbourne. Let's just start fresh. And even there was probably testing times as well, trying to find yourself. And rugby wasn't big. And so I played a bit of club, but then I also play I coached down there. That's where I started coaching. And then yeah, I just I started work and then worked for this recruitment company that I'm still with today. And we moved here, and then yeah, just things escalated to to where I am now. But you know, it's just trying to find peace, you know, and I don't care what anyone says. Retiring from professional sport or in general has got to be the hardest thing anyone can do. Particularly like, you know, I I played it I played rugby professionally for 15 years of my life, you know, so I gave it a good crack. And you know, it was I knew that there was life after rugby, but I didn't think it'd hit me that that hard. Um and now with what 2026, and like I said, I've I've been fortunate enough now. I'm in a place, I'm in a good place now. Um I love what I do. I get to wake up each day, you know, like I said to you earlier, I'm doing I'm putting in long hours, six to six as a coach, but I love it. Like I don't, you know, like my wife is calling me up going, where are you? Where's you know, we're home for dinner? Like, I've and that's another thing too, I've got to work on is you know, at the end of the day, I'm a husband first and I'm a father. But yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Who would have thought where Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

What would you what would you recommend, mate? What would you what would your advice be looking back now that you're in a development space, when players come to the end, what advice would you take based on your experience of retirement?

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Take time, take time off, and I think that's what I I didn't do, and I and I said this, I would take time off. Whatever you do, try and take, you know, four or five months. If you're for guys who are retiring, I didn't, and that's probably where I worked myself into the ground, because I just wanted to forget about it and reflect on what you've been through. Like till today, I haven't reflected on, you know, my career and what I've done. And it's not until someone will tag me in it or I'll come across a video that someone, you know, made, and you're like, oh, like I saw one the other day at the Prem Rugby for Leicester, and someone put it the streets will never forget, and then my name. And then there's a few snippets of my time there, and it was like, geez, I actually moved all right. You know what I mean? Like you just, you know what I mean, like maybe not now, I'm not moving alright, but but just yeah, and and I never got to to do that. And I again now life is I'm I'm you know, I'm so focused on my role now, it's like I wish I did that. And maybe one day, like you said, maybe one day when my son's a bit older, I I can share with him. But yeah, I just if I was to have any give any advice to anyone retiring, take time off, be around your loved ones, and and enjoy what you did, whether you play for three years or two years or 15 years, reflect it. If you got YouTube highlights, and I and I, you know, I I I I wish I did. I mean, like it's right there, but I just don't have you know, I'm always, yeah, like it's and it I find it hard now at this stage now to sort of sit down and have that. Like I talk about it, but maybe I've just it's just hard for me to sit down and do it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 25:32

I think when you put that retirement thing into perspective, for for a a a normal life, retirement's a 65 in most Western countries. And that's the end of the road, really. Like essentially you're you're being put out to pasture in that context. You've worked a career of 40 years, being you've been retired in a lot of cases, and then you just sort of you're on the slow decline. Whereas when you're talking professional sport, that same thing is happening, but when you're 30 or 35 in your case, which is long, and then you're having to deal with you're actually not on the downhill, you're not putting it to pass yet. You've got to you've got to start a new career and start again. And I think what you're talking about there too reminds me of like just you've chased something hard and got to the top of where you are in your case, and you've pushed and pushed to the the best of your ability, and then you've got to start again. And that's uh quite a confronting thing for anybody to take. You've got to start again. So what you talked about is just taking a little bit of time to go, actually, just pause, look back and smile. You're at the top of the mountain and you're looking down, you go, right, I'm gonna have to go down that one, down, walk down there now, and then start again walking up the next one.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

It's so true because I remember when I took this coaching, I was uh assistant coach to a first to a team in Melbourne called Box Hill Rugby Club. And I and anyone that knows rugby and Melbourne, like most rugby's struggling in Melbourne, like in terms of getting numbers and whatnot. Man, Jeremy, there'll be times where there would be like five people rock up the training, six people, and you're just there like on a Tuesday night, it's cold. You know, you get seven and you're just like, what am I doing? You know, and then you're like, maybe coaching isn't for me. And I and even that sense, I'm glad that I got to coach there, even though I probably hated at the time, because it got me to realize that, hey, if you can get through this, then you know, you're you'd be alright now. Now I'm at that stage of my career, even that when I started there, I was like already looking up the hill and going, okay, maybe it's can it be achieved? You know what I mean? So you start asking questions, and then I'm thankful that I'm now in this situation with a drew are the hunger to want to get better is there. Like the same hunger I did as a rugby player has transferred me to the coaching realms. And like it's kind of like raw because I've got to harness it because the excitement and the energy is there, but it's like, hold on. I'm not I'm coaching people, I'm telling people how to play rugby. It's not me telling me what to do, if that makes sense. So, you know, the mind's crazy in that sense, and I've got that energy now. You know, I've got that drive to want to be want to be good, want to be the best coach that Nimani can be. Not that anyone else, but Nimani can be. Love him, mate.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

And and who on your way so far, mate, sort of inspired you? Who who's the sort of you've been for 15 years across some of the best teams around the world, mate? You've you've had good stints at some pretty big clubs.

Teaching Life Skills And Work Experience

SPEAKER_02 28:30

Yeah. Well, who's had some impact on your coaching wise and what lessons have you picked up from that pretty diverse set of experiences you've had?

SPEAKER_00 28:38

Yeah, so I guess the biggest one rugby-wise was like my time at Leicester Tigers. So Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield, who are now the England coaches, I still think, and Richard Wigglesworth. Like it was when I went to Leicester, what really inspired me to be like, you know, to take to give this coaching um a go. I just remember speaking to Steve Borthwick and he was and I was like, and I said to him, Do you see me as a coach? Like literally just a question. He's like, I do. And I was like, I don't know if anyone who knows Steve is stern in when he talks, and he, you know, he's trying to get a smile out of Steve is uh probably is rare these days. But um, you know, I I took a I I took a lot of it out of those guys and how they coached the game and how they saw the game. And I always tell people, I wish I'd sort of moved to Leicester or the UK earlier in my career, because I can tell you now I probably learnt so much more in that two years that I was there than I probably did in my career. Well ways. Just in like the purpose of kicking, you know, like I don't feel I feel there's not enough emphasis on why we kick and where we kick. So when we had when I was at Leicester, we had George Ford and uh Steve Borthwick. And the way they structured like our kicking game, if anyone, we when we won it that year, we kicked the most in the competition. I think I ran more meters without the board than I did in anywhere in the world because we just kicked chased. But and I hated that, but then I realized why we kicked it. I realized we had to kick to this point because this guy's um, you know, he's a he he doesn't step well or he doesn't he doesn't move well down this corner. And there was like it was either a bomb, sorry, like a box kick, or grubbers. So, you know, like we really dissected teams in that sense, and we were big on the kicking game. And I think I hated the kicking game. When I like that's one example of how my my the way I saw the game, and then all of a sudden, now I always see when I see George Ford play and I'm big on how he plays now. He kicks and everyone's like, oh, they kick too much, but then there's an outcome that they get when they do those kicks, and it was just and also too, like Leicester, not that you were there, not the most skillful teams, but just hard, you know, and it's funny because I bring some of that here to our boys. Like we do when I say boys, we'll contact, and they're like, ah, you know, we probably do more contact because there's only like obviously 12 of us, so you know, so I bought a lot of that, and and I I think you just can't beat um guys who wanna put their heads in you know, in in in dark places. There's you can't if you can get guys like that, you yourself was like that, you're just crazy when you play, but and that's what I'm trying to you know, that's what I've taken out at Leicester in my time at Leicester, is is that you know, you don't need to be talented to be a good rugby player, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 31:41

That's very true, mate. I think um there's there's some art in that and trying to it's that's the art of coaching rugby too a little bit. How do you draw that out of someone, that dark art stuff? How do you make someone that doesn't want to put the head over a ball and potentially get whacked in it to do that when it's not their instinct? Exactly right. It's a challenge. Uh you would argue that's that's not a tech it's not a technical thing. Um it's a bravery thing. And you're coaching bravery, which is a very different thing to be coaching than a skill set.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

And and it's hard too, like you've gotta, you know, like I said, everyone's different. So it's it's trying to get it at the individuals, you know, like I and Steve Borthworth did that. He got the best out of players.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

Like how did he do it? How what was his style when he was?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

I don't know how he did it with other players, but with me, he would like and and he like he would come up to me and he would get to know me and my family. So COVID here, we just had a newborn and you know, we're and so as you know, as a when you're a young father, it's your family, right? He would be very, you know, the then I'd he'd get the best out of me by um always having conversations where it involved my family. How's your wife? How's your son? Um, you know, there'll be times where I'd be like, mate, listen, I haven't he'd be like, hey, I hadn't I haven't had good sleep, or my wife's doing it tough, you know. And he would find a way, and it could be as simple as, sweet, after the um after our install, go home. Go back your own. Oh, he would actually say that? Like, yeah. Yeah. He would he would come up to me. I remember when Ethan was just born, we just moved over, COVID, no family, and we were doing it tough a little bit. It was just me and Kim and the little one. And as you know, in the UK, when it's winter, it it Leicester especially. We we traveled from Melton Mowbray, which is like a good fair whack to get into bloody uh Wix and Fo. Was it uh what's it called? What was it? O'B. O'B Wix and O. Yeah, like there'll be days where I'd be struggling. And he'd just be like, mate, yeah, do what you need to do, go home. And then, you know, like just stuff like that would like just trigger me and like just be like, man, this guy cares about me. You know, like

Retirement, Identity, And Finding Peace

SPEAKER_00 34:00

he actually, and then you keep doing it, he keep doing like anything else, snowball effect. Got to the season, he would know that I wasn't like because I went there to the end of my career, he'll he'd be like, Nems, you're not running, you don't do this, but he'd still work me. And then, but he'd just be like, get your body right for for the weekend. You know what I mean? So all of a sudden, I mean, obviously the way he did with me was different to other people, and I this why I respect the man, and you know, he he I try and get my lot of my coaching out of like my the way I coach or try to coach from from them, from him, and it was getting to know his players, you know, and when he got to know his players, and then and then all of a sudden it was just like what I started seeing in myself was like I started getting better, like I started to do extras, I started to do more because he was like, nah, you look after your family, this and then I'd be yeah, I I just there was a way that he got that's how he got the best out of me, and and then all of a sudden you're you're this guy who's going through a brick wall for for someone who you know simply just says, How's your family and cares about you know how you're going and your well-being. And he was big on that. There was well-being first, and he especially like young fathers, he was really good with. He's obviously he's a father of he has two boys, and uh, you know, he was it can just be like a 10-second conversation, Jamy, and that was right, boom, you know.

SPEAKER_02 35:25

I reckon that's cool, mate. It's almost like this concept of your coaching care, and what what I've heard there, like he's actually coaching the fundamentals of caring. And what I got from you just then, mate, was it's not a one-size-fits-all approach, which you could easily think it would be, but it's not. There's lots of different hats, lots of different shapes and sizes of hats you have to wear, and different people take different hats, and they all look good in their own way, right? And you have to be aware of that. Um, I often go back to that sort of phrase is like with your parenting, like we have four kids, and there's no way I should treat them all the same because they're not the same, they're very different, and they wouldn't want to be treated the same. Sometimes when my little fella goes, Why do I have to go to bed early? My sister doesn't have to go to bed at eight o'clock. And I go, Hold on, mate. Do you really want me to treat you like your sister? Because I can do that. And you'd think about it for a second and go, actually, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Because there's differences, right? And it's because, like, you care about those differences because everyone's unique. People are different. It's it's coaching is a people business, right? And you've got to make those um considerations for the difference.

SPEAKER_00 36:35

And it's fun, it's works so well, like the role that I'm in now, and I'm still learning how to do it, you know, learning how to be for me, it's like more empathy. How to get because for me, I'm like that mindset. We've got to train, we've got to do this, we've got to do that. But then, you know, and and the good thing we've got, like I said, we had a conversation with our GM, Baden, who's uh Baden Stevenson, who's our GM, and we're talking about a play, and I was like, now, now we've got to get rid of him. He's not listening, got listening. And you know, the best thing he said to me, so me down. He goes, Nems, put yourself in his shoes. And then all of a sudden, my mindset just went from trying to be a perfect rugby team to, oh you're right, I gotta, I gotta show this guy some love, some empathy. And you know what though, now it's like hearing his backstory, what happened to him, and you know, how what's he going through, all of a sudden it's like, man, I've got to care more about this guy more than rugby. Like, forget about rugby and coaching rugby first. Let's let's make sure he's okay. Because, as you know, if you're here, if he is okay, the rugby is just the end product, you know, the the byproduct. We know you're good rugby players, and that's what I've sort of is is my work on here. It's like, man, I've got to show empathy, I've got to make sure these guys are good. But yet when we when we step over that line and it's rugby, because that's the only time, and that's how I've sort of phased it's like, okay, let's, you know, let's make sure we're co we're teaching these guys and coaching these guys. But the moment, because they've got to get passed by medicals that they can train, the moment you're over that line, then it's all right, now we're playing coach, now I can be rough. You're gonna not rough, but you know what I mean? It's like I can be that hot-headed guy, making sure we get things done, you know, in the way that they obviously they understand it, but off the field is that the that empathy, making sure they're all right, but also, you know, just making sure that that their mindset is in a good state to train and get better. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02 38:33

So it does, mate.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

And that's what's been crazy here. Like, and you know, I'm I'm I'm a young coach. I'm learning just as much as they are, but at the same time, it's like leaning to my experiences, which is it's sort of helped me get through.

SPEAKER_02 38:48

How do you, with your experiences, like you you have a pretty unique experience, just given some of your physical attributes, you're a massive man. I won't say the weights publicly, mate, but not these days, but we we let's just put they're north of a they're two of me. I didn't say the number, but mate, you're a big man, very big man, one of the biggest ever, and you're quick, mate, and one of the quickest out there in your prime, and you're agile and you're a goal kicker, and you you had these unique abilities physically, mate, just like blessed. How do you then sometimes relate to players that don't have those? Like, is it easy? Like, like when you talk about running into contact, for you running into contact was a very different scenario than me, for example. How do you relate to your players from your own experiences with that?

SPEAKER_00 39:37

Well, what I do first of all, like I said, if I I always go back to how I was sort of because like you said, I was a big, big person for my position, you know, but I've in the past a lot of coaches would put me in the same category as the with the my counterparts. You've got to do this, you've got to run this, as you know, at NEC. You've got to do the same thing, and I could do what I could do is different to what Ole May can do, and what he can do is different to what I could do. And like that's worked well for me here because it's made me like we've got we've got big, we've got some big players, but like some of them are, you know, some of them are big, but not not so some of them are are big but quick. And you've got some of the small guys who aren't big but are squ uh slow. You know what I mean? So it's like it's not putting them all in the one basket, it's not putting them all in the one bracket. Um and a lot of the things I do, I do a lot of one-on-ones with them and just and just go through their game and and what the where they could work on. I'm not big on um because I that's how it worked for me. Like the guys will take coaches, the good coaches that I've played under will take me aside and be like, yeah, we know you're not this, we know you're not that, but you we know what you can bring. So let's work on that. Let's bring that. You know, a lot of a lot of teams, a lot of times in the past, people try to bring people's

Advice On Transition: Reflect And Reset

SPEAKER_00 41:00

weaknesses rather than their strengths.

SPEAKER_03 41:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

And so, like I I think if you can give so once for instance, we've got a lock who's about seven foot eight. He's big, he's tall. He's not, he might not be the quickest, he might not be the skillfulest, but in contact, he goes well. But in a scrum jummy, you would want him every day of the week as a tight head. You know, so it's like reminding him that it that's what his strength is, okay? So I always try and remind them of their strengths and tell them like in their work on, I don't I don't like saying the word weaknesses, I say work-ons. So, for instance, like him, I say, mate, yes, you might not be the fittest, but you bring other these other attributes. We can work on them. There's ways to work on that. Let's keep working on your strength. And the moment you sort of you see them evolve their game because they're working on their strength, you know, we always get told back in the days, work on your weaknesses, work on your weaknesses, forget your strength. I I do the opposite. Well, hold on, work on your strength. The weaknesses you can slowly chip away at your weaknesses or your work-ons, is what I say. And again, that's just from my experiences as a player, you know, and I was always, you know, I was always told you're too slow, you're this and that, that, until I went to like Japan. And I got a lot of good feedback when I was when I worked under the Kiwi coaches because they saw that yes, you're big. Yeah, we know you're not gonna be the quickest, but what's your goal? What what's the goal of a winger? To school tries, to finish, all right? That's what they do. So they I would be they would say, Nam, school tries. You know, obviously you're not gonna be the quickest, but let's you're you're you're gonna be you're you're gonna be quick over a certain amount of time. Just work on that. So all of a sudden I started being the best over 40 meters. Do you get what I'm saying? Jumping across. But so that what I'm saying with uh our boys is I I just always tell them, keep working on your strength, keep working what got you here. We can work on that other stuff. And uh, you know, and and the good thing about this development squad that I've got, Jamy, is that they're a squad that wants to work. You know, I in the past we sort of used to train together before I came. Um I came in this year and I've taken that away. So we train a different, we don't train with the top squad. So all of a sudden you've got some development lads that are like chewing at it, like we want to play, we want to train. All of a sudden, they're training now five, six days a week. They only train, you know, because of the rules, they can only train a certain amount of days a week. But they're always in doing extras. And you know, it's it's just sometimes flicking that switch or in them or s you know, sparking a a flame and it just goes. And yeah, like I said, it's just I'm big on on your strengths. Work on your strengths. If that's that's your strengths, that's what makes you you, do it. The work ons will come and it'll come over time. No one's Expecting it to happen straight away, you know what I mean? And I and I and I and I dare say, Jamie, for 15 years, I was probably working on my on my work-ons, on my weaknesses. But hey, I got 15 years out of it.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

Well, I think the example that is is very fitting for you is when you first came to Japan. I I had I was coaching there, that team, I saw it firsthand when you arrived, and you're 140 kilos or so, and they were the the coaches in Japan were expected everyone to hit certain thresholds in the 3K test, and you were up against the other wingers who were about 70 kilos, and as expected, you were getting absolutely blitzed. And then there was this push for you from to do more running in order to get down to that time, which was never going to happen. And we had a great trainer, Keith Roberts, who pushed hard to ensure that this is ridiculous. He is different from those other wingers. We can't expect him to run the same. He's not doing any more running. I'll get him a fit for purpose, which was like what you said, specifically for you, which was different sorts of fitness, and he worked really hard with you. And you absolutely got there, were the top try scorer in your debut season. 19 tries, I believe, in the season, which was the record. I think it still is. But it's a good example of that. Like, don't get bogged down on the weaknesses, because if you'd got to that, you would have been broken. You would have been broken mentally and physically, and you wouldn't have been doing what you're good at, which was scoring the tries, I reckon. So it's massive, it's absolutely massive. And I love that phrase you said put yourself in his shoes. That's a lovely one, too. Um, just earlier around that coaching care. I just think that's a cool little builder. Now, mate, um, what are the differences when you're talking about that little bit of the strengths of places you've been to? Like if you're comparing a New Zealand style, you mentioned the New Zealand coaches just before, and you've mentioned the Borthwick at UK. What about some of those other trades, mate? What's the differences now that you're taking from the Crusaders from Leicester to Montpellier to NEC?

English Grit: Kicking Strategy And Contact

SPEAKER_02 46:00

What are you what are you bringing back to your role now, apart from the contact from the English?

SPEAKER_00 46:05

Okay, I'll go through all the teams and I'll tell you what I've taken out of them. Crusaders? So I'll start with the Crusaders. Crusaders know nailing your roles off the field, getting the books, like the theory part of it. I didn't know what a what video was until I went to the Crusaders. Obviously, we had it uh in Japan, but it wasn't really, you know, we didn't have computers and stuff. There was like what you showed us, all right, let's go. We'll see it at 12 o'clock on, you know what I mean? Like it wasn't the Crusaders was big on that. And that's one thing, one thing I've bought here to this, to my development guys, because of how we train is getting into the books, getting into the to the videos, watching the plays, watching back. Because perfect example, we played last week. We you know how we had a development game, but then a lot of some of the guys from the top squad came down. And so we only came together on Friday, which was captain's run, because we trained different to the top squad. And so from Monday to Friday, I drilled it into the boys. They said, boys, we don't have we don't have enough to run a 15 during the week. We're still gonna train hard. The plays that we're gonna do, we so we mirror what the top squad was doing when they'll play Moana that week. We're mirroring their place. Part of my job was, you know, um taken care of in the fact that we mirrored the plays, um, you know, what the top squad is doing. And I said, get in the books, you're gonna have to learn. And I said, you know, when I put on them, the only way I know that we're gonna have a successful weekend is if you've done your books. Funny enough, Jami, keep reminding them, boom, come Friday, we're crisp. So that's one thing I've taken away from the Crusaders is nailing your roles. That's that'd be the word for it. And that was a word that always was brought up when I was there, it was nail your role in in Japan. Uh the the of of hard work, you know, knowing that you've got to work hard.

SPEAKER_02 47:58

Isn't it an amazing culture for that, right? Like it's work ethic is unmatched in a lot of ways, right?

SPEAKER_00 48:04

But uh, but bit but being a but appreciating that people had to go to work and have to come train. So that's one thing I I took out of Japan, which I bought here, which is I guess my uh I've sent our boys go to work one day a week. Um what's another club? Leicester, um good the Montpellier. Not a bad life in the south of France. So we've already got a we've already got a good here too. So that was that, yes, there's hard work, but then you know, there's time to chill out and stuff. We do we do that really well, I must I add. Um maybe a bit too much. Um and then with Leicester was just the the one thing I've I've I've and I've learned and I've brought back here is understanding why we play what we play. Um and you know, just like we played this development team on the weekend and I was watching these flips and uh there the how they play it. And I was like, right, in our 22, we're not gonna play around with it, we're kicking it out, we're gonna back our line out. From anywhere from our fifth, because we love quick tap, as you know, Fijians love it. So from here to from our trial unto the 50, no quick taps. We're backing our line out. You know what I mean? And then anything over the 50 meters, we can quick tap happy days. Funny enough to actually see it happen and see it, you know. Obviously, sometimes they didn't execute somewhere else, but then they got the picture of the understanding. Jamie, it's such a good thing as a coach. Like now I know how coaches feel when you see something that you've planned and you're like, oh my god, it's actually working. Except you don't say it like that, right? You don't say, Oh my god, it actually worked. No, no, yeah, I say it after well. Now I'm saying it on this. Jesus, it's gonna make it go viral. But you get what I mean. So coaches were listening. This is, you know, and and and again, like I said, I'm I'm I'm new, I'm fresh and hungry. So to see that on the weekend, but yeah, just learning, learning where to play, when to play, and what to play. So it's like, you know, in our halves. And now I'm big on like, you know, we don't want to mess around, depending on who we're playing as well. So yeah, I've taken a lot of bits and pieces from where I've played. And like I said, I go back to my experiences. That's all it that's all, you know, if there's something when they talk about pressure, boom, you know, I'll I'll I'll what's that time when I was at the Crusaders where in that era there were just your Dan Carters, your Richie McCaws and all that, right? So that was pressure and just you know, like in how they face pressure and or you know, how do you how do you, you know, there's like I said, there's just so much you know, and people like I I like to think I was I'm probably a lucky, I'm lucky to have the rugby career that I did, because not many people would have had the career that I had where you know how people when they change clubs, they usually maybe go to the up the road or they'll go, you know, not far away. Every club I every time I change clubs, I actually change countries. So we actually have to move countries as opposed to oh, I'm playing to this team, this rival team. Do you get what I mean? So yeah, like I just said, I just everything I'm doing is just from experience and you know, it's yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

Mate, I love that. Like the moving around just opens up the experience, a little life experience, even more. Mate, if you had to narrow down and say, what's what's one simple habit that would you say to a young player from your experience that would help them succeed long term, what would that be?

SPEAKER_00 51:22

Consistency. I say this word to my players all the time. Consistency. If I was if you I'll be greedy and I'll choose and I'll go with another word would be effort. Those are the two things that I that I would tell young people that I would tell myself as well, consistency and effort. It's funny because I actually tell that say that to myself now in the in the prison that I'm at. You know, we talk about being at the top of the mountain and you being at the bottom, you know, and I d and I tell the development boys all the time small habits, small things, doing it consistently over time, you know, it's eventually gonna get big,

Individual Strengths Over Weakness Fixation

SPEAKER_00 52:00

right? It might not get big now, might not get big in a year, but it will get big and and you know, time will come and then effort. And that's what I again I'm teaching our boys, effort you can't coach, you know, and effort is something that that is that comes from within, I guess. And it's finding for me as a coach, it's finding what fuel what's gonna fuel that effort through with the boys, you know what I mean? Like for instance, mine is my family, that's my that's my fuel that's gonna give me effort. And a lot of a lot of these guys are breadwinners in their families. It's you know, it's reminding them again, it's trying to find ways of trying to find the fuel to fuel that effort, if that makes sense. So I tell them all the time consistent effort, keep doing that every day, surely something's gonna pay off. Something will happen for sure.

SPEAKER_02 52:51

Yeah. Now, Nim's we've got to the point where I've got one more question for you.

SPEAKER_01 52:55

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_02 52:56

I question for you, and it's this, mate. What's one belief you have about rugby or culture or even life that you believe in that you reckon other contemporaries of yours, peers or friends, would disagree with? That's a very deep question, Jamie. We go deep here, mate. We go deep because uh it just makes people think, and I'll just while you're having to tick over that, the reason why we do it too is of the amount of people I've that have come back to me and just said, this is how I'd answer that question, is is really cool in day-to-day life when I bump into people that listen to the podcast and they they tell me their thing. And it's one of those sign-off questions which just makes you think, what would mine be? And the fact that you're having to go, ooh, that's an interesting one. What's one belief that you agree with that you reckon your contemporaries would disagree with?

SPEAKER_00 53:43

I reckon what you coach in one country or in another place may not work in another place, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 53:49

It does? What what's specifically?

SPEAKER_00 53:52

So say perfect example, Fiji. There is a different way to coaching. We and I don't know what the answer is as well, but like, well, let's for instance, coaches might come what they might do in other places, could be anything, might not necessarily work in another country. So for instance, so for instance, if um me coaching in Fiji, what I'm doing now, or how I'm coaching my development squad wouldn't necessarily work in Australia or New Zealand because here we're being we're we're not only coaches but we're teachers as well. Like you say, in Australia, by the time they're 14, they're lifting up the dundell, right? So what might not necessarily work what what necessarily works here for what works here for us might not necessarily work in Australia or New Zealand. And that got for me, and I've learned that as a player and I and I'm and as a coach now, I and coaching here and having c played in in other countries, I still I think it's the same. I don't think you can and whatever the answer, like how do you change that? I don't know. I'm I'm in the same boat. But one thing I've realized is you can't you can't you you've got it, yeah. You can't coach the same thing. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 55:10

I d I actually agree with that, Nems. I I think this is probably what this show is really about is this concept that if you're coaching the sport, if you're coaching rugby, that's all the same. But we're not coaching rugby, we're coaching people rugby. And the people comes in the middle, and people are all different, there's a whole lot of context to people. People are human and humans aren't linear, they're all over the show. There's some things you can get right, but for the other things you're gonna have to be very careful that you're not getting it completely wrong. And so when you're coaching people the sport, it changes everywhere you go, and there's cultures, there's context, there's all sorts of different things that are rattling around on people's backstories which affect that part of the coaching process.

SPEAKER_00 55:58

And and don't get me wrong, like I'm still learning the wave, the way the way we we we play here. Like, yeah, people think, yes, I played for Fiji. No, it's true though. Like I tell people, like I played for Fiji for over 10 years, but I was only in the country for three weeks of the month, you know what I mean? But it's not until you move here and you know, that's why I take my hat off to guys like Glenn Jackson and Mick Burns who um and uh who have been here, right? And they've been here for like they've in immersed themselves in the culture, they've immersed themselves here, you know, and you know, do they get it right, do they get it wrong? But that's it's not me to answer, but they've come, they've bought themselves out of New Zealand or Australia, bought them here, and have changed, you know, you know, the the the the the way they go about things. And they've you know, for me I think they're doing it great, great, you know. So it it's not only again, like I said, I'm I'm still learning the ways of the Fijian ways here. And people i i I know it sounds weird, right? But I grew up in Australia for 18 years of my life. Then I lived overseas, traveled the world like a gypsy for 15 years. So where am I from? I don't know. But you know Man of the World names.

SPEAKER_01 57:17

Man of the world. Love it.

SPEAKER_02 57:19

Now, mate, I want to wrap up the show with my final three takeaways, mate, that I've got enormous value out of this conversation. They are these. Number one, you said, how do I learn how to transfer what's in my mind to the players? And I reckon that's a great question for all coaches to actually chip around how to do this. It's a great question, it's a great thinking process for coaches. Don't assume that because it's in your mind, it's going to come across the way you want it. How do you learn to transfer what's in my mind to the players? Repeat that question to yourself and you'll find you'll come up with ways. Number two, work on your strengths. Don't always look for the weaknesses to work on. It's what got you here. It's why

Habits That Win: Consistency And Effort

SPEAKER_02 58:00

you're picked in the team. It's your absolute superpower. Double down on it. Make sure that's always your superpower because working on your weaknesses isn't the thing that got you in the team. Your strengths are what got you here. Make sure they're still here and they're strong. Number three, I just love this little phrase you said, mate, of take time to reflect. And you were talking about in the transition period, but I think we can take it for all areas of life and the sport. When you get to the top of whatever mountain you're climbing, whether that's a session or a season or a career, make sure you take the time to just stop and have a look at the view you've got. Because if you don't, if you're not in that present, you're gonna miss the wonderful things that the view shows you. So taking that time to just be really present, to take time to reflect in a session. In a season, in a life, is massively important.

SPEAKER_00 58:59

Thanks for having us.