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Coaching Culture with Ben HerringAuthor: Ben Herring
Coaching Culture with Ben Herring is your weekly deep-dive into the often-overlooked softer skills of coachingcultural innovation, communication, empathy, leadership, dealing with stress, and motivation. Each episode features candid conversations with the worlds 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 Xs and Os 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. Language: en-us Genres: Education, How To, Rugby, Sports Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Dan Bowden: How to Coach Your Players Without Putting Them to Sleep
Sunday, 13 July, 2025
Dan Bowden's rugby journey spans three continents and multiple elite environments, from the Crusaders' player-led culture to Leicester Tigers' strict framework. Now, as attack coach for Japan's national team, he's blending these experiences into something uniquely effective.Standing in the coach's box after Japan's stunning 24-19 victory over Wales, Bowden wasn't simply celebrating. He was already analyzing what they could improve. "Don't get me wrong. It was wonderful, but we played poorly," he explains. "We're one of the best attacking teams in the world, top three for most metrics. However, on the weekend we conceded the ball like eight times from first or second phase, which is extremely poor."This unflinching commitment to excellence led to an unprecedented decision: training the morning after their victory. In Bowden's entire playing and coaching career, he'd never seen a team return to work so quickly after a test win. But preventing complacency was paramount.Bowden's approach to coaching challenges conventional wisdom at every turn. He's revolutionized team meetings – replacing seated, lecture-style sessions with stand-up gatherings featuring games, mental primers, and focused video analysis. "I hate meetings, I hate sitting down and every kid hates sitting in the classroom. So I don't want a rugby environment to be reminded of sitting in a classroom."Perhaps most fascinating is his method for building player ownership while maintaining clear direction. "I gave them three options and they chose the one that they wanted. So they feel the one they chose was the best one. But we've co-designed it. They just don't realize it."In navigating Japanese rugby's traditionally compliance-based culture, Bowden builds relationships away from the field. Taking players to lunch with a "no rugby talk" rule creates deeper connections that allow for meaningful challenge later. This balanced approach – combining structure with autonomy, challenge with support, and tradition with innovation – reflects his central philosophy: there are many ways to succeed in rugby.Ready to transform your coaching approach? Discover the practical strategies that are reshaping international rugby and could revolutionize your team's performance.Send us a textSupport the show
