Coach to coach
Steve Hill puts the questions to Myles Landick, below, head coach at Jersey RFC
Why did you get into coaching rugby and how did you arrive at your current position?
I had to retire from professional rugby with Jersey Reds due to injury. During my recovery, I started coaching a local side on the island and then the head coach role of the Jersey Reds 2nd XV came up and I took that on.
The amateur and professional sides split, and Jersey RFC re-entered the league structure at Level 7. After back-to-back promotions we now find ourselves at Level 5.
What was your profession outside of coaching rugby?
I was the head groundsman at Jersey Reds.
What do you find the most challenging aspects of coaching?
Making sure we can get all of our players’ decent game time and keeping them match fit. We currently don’t have a 2nd XV so that can be very challenging. It is also a challenge sometimes to stay focused and not let the emotional side take over.
Has anyone been an adviser/mentor/inspiration on your coaching journey?
There has been a fair few along the way. We are extremely lucky that a good number of the former full time professional players have decided to stay on the island so I can tap into their knowledge and experience. The previous Jersey Reds head coach, Steve Boden, played a significant part in my development when I was transitioning from playing to coaching.
How did you manage the transition from having a professional Championship club on Jersey to having only a part time Level 7 club?
It wasn’t a nice time for anyone. Everyone, including myself, lost our jobs. The amateur Jersey RFC was by then a separate club and I was the head coach of that set up. To be honest we didn’t have too much time to think about it. We had to keep rugby going on the island and we actually had a game on the Saturday after being told on the Thursday the Reds were no more. Thankfully the Jersey RFC committee did such an amazing job in making sure we could afford to run the facility. It was devastating time for everyone involved with Jersey Reds. We went from being crowned winners of the Championship to no longer existing. Thankfully the rebuild of Jersey RFC is nearly complete and there is huge excitement about the forthcoming season.
So far what do you count as your most significant coaching achievement?
I am really proud of achieving back-to-back promotions in the last two seasons. We also won the Siam Cup, against our traditional rivals Guernsey, a number of times. Only losing three games in the last two seasons is a pretty good record. However, I think the biggest achievement is how we have been able to bring so many of our mini and junior players all the way through to the 1st XV and see them develop as adult players. So many people have helped contribute to this.
You have just achieved promotion to Level 5. What changes will you make to the way the team is prepared for this season?
We know that the bar will be raised in terms of standard and physicality and we have to prepare for that. We have always tried to implement high coaching standards and making sure the squad continue to develop. We have been fortunate to add some experienced ex-players into the coaching team, such as the former Wasps, Leicester and Reds back row Guy Thompson. Each of our coaches has a focus area and work with the players to continually improve in those areas.
Jersey’s recruitment challenges are different from other clubs. How do you go about recruiting players?
We don’t actively recruit players from off the island. We are fully amateur. We rely on local players coming through our mini and junior sections and players moving to the island for work.
Name a player who you have really enjoyed coaching/developing and why?
I think it would be hard to name just one but seeing so many players that have come through the mini and junior sections is a huge thrill. Watching the transition into adult rugby and going on to be senior players gives me a huge amount of enjoyment.
What more could the RFU do to assist clubs who are not full time professional?
Not surprisingly our biggest cost is travel so we could do with some more help in that area. What we really want to do is to be able to invest in the community rugby side of our club. We would love to have funding that would enable us to place more community coaches in the schools on the island.
What advice would you give to anyone considering or just starting to get involved in coaching rugby?
Enjoy and concentrate on the process of helping players grow and develop both on and off the field. Make sure that is stays fun.
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