Coaching Culture with Ben Herring

An American-developed rugby coach taking a professional job overseas is rare, and Brendan O’Meara knows exactly why. His path runs through years of volunteering, uncomfortable learning curves, and the kind of persistence that doesn’t look dramatic from the outside. Now he’s heading to Japan rugby with the NEC Green Rockets, and we get specific about what it actually took to earn that step and what it will demand next. 

We unpack the “self-made coach” reality in American rugby and why expanding your environment can matter more than waiting for a perfect pathway. Brendan shares how he handled imposter syndrome by “making up the reps,” how real relationships open doors, and why effort only counts when it turns into better coaching habits. We also get into the modern coaching craft: tight training time blocks, load management constraints, video analysis and film review, and the brutal but freeing discipline of turning too much information into a few clear messages your players can execute. 

From there, we go deeper on leadership and coaching culture. We talk people over rugby, winning the room without trying to “prove” you’re smart, and how vulnerability inside a coaching staff creates trust, honesty, and better collaboration. To close, Brendan challenges the lazy narrative that structure kills creativity and explains why detail can be the platform for great attacking rugby when the balance is right. 

If you coach rugby, lead teams, or want a real-world blueprint for growth, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a coach who needs it, and leave a review. What’s one change you’ll make to your coaching this week?
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Most youth sports are built to sort kids into winners and losers. Jason Zemke built the Charlotte Cardinals to keep kids playing.

We’re joined by Jason from Charlotte, North Carolina, the head coach behind one of the fastest-growing youth rugby programs in the United States. The Cardinals exploded from a brand-new club into a national powerhouse, but the real story is how they did it: treating rugby as a community first, a development pathway second, and a scoreboard a distant third. We dig into what “stewarding the game” looks like in a developing rugby nation, including the bold move of mixing jerseys at halftime to prevent 100-point blowouts that drive families away.

We also get practical about culture and coaching: why the third half matters, how the Cardinals police sideline behavior, and why “don’t be a dick” is more than a joke, it’s an operating system. Jason shares how standards create winning without chasing winning, how simplifying structures builds confidence, and how outreach and scholarships remove barriers so any kid can belong.

If you care about coaching culture, youth rugby, leadership, and growing the game in the US, this one’s packed with ideas you can steal. Subscribe, share this with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
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My dad is about to turn 80, and it’s made me think hard about the quiet stuff we pick up from our parents: the phrases, the reflexes, the way we decide what’s “possible.” Some of that inheritance is gold. Some of it needs to be left behind. I share three lessons he gave me that still shape how I coach, how I lead, and how I try to build a life that actually fits. 

First, we dig into a line that still stops me in my tracks: take the bits of me you like and ditch the rest. It’s a reminder that your upbringing is a default pattern, not a destiny and that real agency starts when you decide what you’ll keep. We connect that to leadership development and coaching, where the goal isn’t creating clones, but giving people room to build their own “Lego tower” of skills, habits, and beliefs. 

Then we tackle the “T” in can’t. I talk through how one small language shift from “I can’t” to “I haven’t learned yet” changes everything, from public speaking and confidence to leading teams, having hard conversations, and learning the craft of leadership. Finally, we zoom out to purpose and time: don’t let society write your timetable. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do and would it look anything like your current life? 

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A rugby club with 1,500 players shouldn’t feel personal, yet Newman Club in Buenos Aires somehow does. Alfredo Cordone explains how Argentina’s club-first rugby pathway creates a level of belonging most countries have lost, where the club becomes a second house and the community is the culture. We talk about the values that sit underneath it all, from humility and respect to sacrifice and long-term development, and why rugby is used as a tool to build better people, not just better athletes. 

We get practical about coaching culture, too. Alfredo shares simple behaviors that scale, like treating every player as a person first and making it a non-negotiable that coaches learn every name. We also unpack what it takes to run a huge amateur program like a real organization, aligning dozens of volunteer coaches, coordinating professional medical staff, and creating routines that keep people connected, including late-night trainings and the legendary Thursday barbecue that turns “team bonding” into real life. 

Then we go to the hard place: losing seven semifinals and finals by one point. Alfredo breaks down how purpose bigger than results and commitment to process kept Newman growing until the championship finally arrived, plus the long-term selection decisions that prioritize the future over short-term fixes. We finish with an honest look at ego and leadership, including what it means to step aside so the team can thrive. If you care about leadership, team culture, and sustainable player development, you’ll take notes from this one. 

Subscribe for more conversations on coaching and culture, share this with a coach or captain who needs it, and leave a review if it helps. What’s one small behavior you’ve seen that instantly builds belonging on a team?
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A lot of talent pathways talk about “development,” but few are honest about what it really takes to build better players without losing the person. We sit down with Euros Evans, Director of Rugby at Coleg Sir Gar and Head Coach at Llandovery RFC, to explore how one of Welsh rugby’s most productive 16 to 18 programs operates inside the Welsh Rugby Union pathway and the Scarlets region. The result is a hybrid model that manages workload, aligns coaching identity, and gives young athletes a clear view of what professional rugby actually demands.

We dig into the nuts and bolts: how the season structure works, what “elite player” means, and why facility investment, S&C, physio support, and coaching time are not luxuries, they are the foundation. Ross shares what has changed most over two decades, including the rise of agents at school games and the growing need to educate parents and players about realistic timelines, selection, and rejection.

The heart of the conversation is culture and holistic development. Euros lays out the standards he cares about most: education first, professionalism, punctuality, discipline, integrity, and resilience. We talk late developers, why the journey is rarely linear, and why “don’t write yourself off at 16” is not motivational fluff, it is a practical truth backed by real careers.

If you care about schoolboy rugby, player welfare, leadership, and building a sustainable high performance pathway, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a coach or parent, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
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