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To experience this first hand for 2 weeks, to speak with Ben, Chris, Rob and Naca 1-on-1, to get to know Osea, to watch their every training session, to listen to how Ben coached the team, to see how they trained, to be invited into the inner sanctum of the team during their Lotu: It was something money can not buy. The experience was PRICELESS and it taught me several things and also reaffirmed I am on the right coaching philosophy pathway\u2026<\/p>\n

It was an HONOUR and a PRIVILEGE to play a small part in the preparations for the first ever Olympic Gold medallists in Rugby 7s. Thank you very much to Ben, Rob and the team for allowing me to become part of the team for a very short period time. It is an experience I will never forget.<\/p>\n

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I first came across Ben personally when I attended a 7s Coaching Conference at Oxford University, hosted by Independent Coach Education, in 2008 when Ben was England 7s Head Coach and I was the Director of Rugby at Denstone College. This experience had a major influence on the way I would view and coach the 7s game and how my teams would subsequently play the game, e.g. using the Touchline Press in defence. Ben clarified many things that day that would have a profound impact on me as a 7s coach.<\/p>\n

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During some time in 2015 I sent an email to Ben to sow a seed of the idea of the Fiji 7s team coming to Chile prior to heading to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio as I was based in Santiago as Director of Rugby at The Grange School. Then at the beginning March 2016 I received a message from Ben saying he was thinking of coming with the team to Santiago as a holding camp pre Rio and he asked if I thought it might work. I said to leave it with me as I would need to speak with various contacts I know to see if I could make this possible for Ben and the team.<\/p>\n

A few phone calls, messages, emails and conversations later I had secured all the necessary arrangements for the Fiji 7s teams, Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s, to come to Santiago for 2 weeks prior to them heading over the Andres to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. This included visiting the Marriott 5* Hotel next to the Parque Arauco Shopping Mall to check out all the facilities Ben was requesting for the use of the team, booking the bus company for all the trips to and from the hotel to the training grounds and airport, confirming that they could use the Speedworks facilities for their Strength & Conditioning work and the use of the school playing fields for all their training sessions.<\/p>\n

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Due to the schedule of the 7s matches at the Olympics, it meant the Women\u2019s 7s squad arrived a few days before the Men\u2019s 7s squad. The Women\u2019s 7s team was coached by Chris Cracknell, former England 7s player under Ben Ryan. On arrival they were straight into the hotel\u2019s gym going through some recovery work and stretching to get over the couple of days travelling from Fiji.<\/p>\n

Observing Chris coach the side, he used a variety of methods\u2026 from Conditioned Games, to Purposeful and Deliberate practices, to Unit skills i.e. scrums and lineouts, and Questioning. Above all else he made everything fun and enjoyable creating an environment the ladies were relaxed in, which meant they could do their best and perform each day.<\/p>\n

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Once the Men\u2019s team had arrived, one thing I observed that was very clever, was the integration of coaching the Women\u2019s and Men\u2019s teams together to nurture the sense of belonging and togetherness. This involved work around the breakdown, including tackling and clearing\/protecting the ball. It gave a great opportunity for the Women\u2019s team to learn from the Men\u2019s team and for the Men\u2019s players to coach the Women\u2019s players to improve their understanding.<\/p>\n