New Zealander Jake Mangin, 42, may be a long way from home, but the Selknam head coach is helping lay the foundations for a new generation of South American stars.
After more than thirteen years in the region, the former Brazil coach is working hard to take his Chilean franchise to the next level.
“The season didn’t start the way we wanted in terms of results and we were letting games slip away,” he said. “From my point of view, it was about getting the guys to find solutions out on the pitch when they’re under pressure.
“Fortunately, the players have responded really well and we’ve managed to grow into the season.”
Impressive results against Dogos and Yacare have ensured Selknam remain in the hunt for a place in the semi-finals with three games to play. When called upon to explain his team’s impressive turnaround in form, Mangin doesn’t miss a beat.
“A lot of it is down to the culture here and as a head coach, that’s something I feel really able to influence,” he continued.
“I think if you look at any of the great teams recently, whether it’s Saracens or the Crusaders, the atmosphere off the pitch is a massive part of their success.
“We want to create an environment where players are able to take ownership of their performances.”
Culture is a word Mangin returns to again and again, not because it can replace tactics or fitness levels but because he knows those factors can only take a team so far without it.
Mangin has periodically returned to his native New Zealand to coach in the Crusaders academy and it is clear that he regards his time in that environment as invaluable. When he mentions the kind of people he was working alongside, it becomes clear why.
“Razor [Scott Robertson] has been a massive influence on me and the way I go about my job,” he added. “I was back in New Zealand for an extended period after the pandemic and it was brilliant to be able to chat rugby with someone like him every day.”
Having the head coach of the All Blacks, who also happens to be a seven-time Super Rugby champion as a mentor can only be a good thing. At the other end of the spectrum, Mangin is quick to pay tribute to former Canterbury skills coach Brent Frew, whose name may not be quite so eye-catching to casual fans.
He said: “I learn so much every time I’m back in New Zealand: how to build a culture, how to manage a group and watch the way those guys interact with their players.
“People like Brent were really patient with me as a young coach, and I owe them so much. I probably could have stayed in that set-up and kept learning but my family is in South America and I’m happy to be back.”
The skills he picked up from his compatriots are clearly paying off and not just on the pitch. The current Brazilian technical director, Josh Reeves, played under Mangin and speaks of him in the same vein Mangin does of the likes of Ruddock.
Having first arrived in Brazil in 2010, Mangin has quietly become one of the experienced heads in the region despite his age.
“The region is unrecognisable from the one I first encountered,” he added. “I think the Brazilian rugby budget was something like $50,000 back then and it’s many times that number now.
“We’ve obviously got a professional league now and the women’s game has come on massively in that time.”
With the expansion of the 2027 World Cup to 24 teams and the relatively recent arrival of professional rugby on the continent, Mangin is in no mood to put a ceiling on South American rugby moving forwards.
“I think getting four South American teams in the World Cup is definitely an achievable goal,” he said. “From my point of view, the guys that played in the World Cup for Chile have come back [to Selknam] really energised and ready to improve.
“I’m sure it’s the same in Uruguay and elsewhere too. I think the sport is only going to grow and hopefully we can expand the club competition in the next few years.”
It is difficult to comprehend the extent to which the sport in this continent has changed over the past decade and nobody knows where it will be in another ten years.
As for Mangin, his focus is fixed on the present and the games his Selknam team need to win right now. Do that, and the future will take care of itself.
Written by Joe Santamaria
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