TAI L AVEA –
MASTERING DISASTER In these uncertain times one thing that’s as close to a sure thing as sport can ever provide is that good coaches know how to turn disaster into triumph. JON RAWLINSON explains.
Pakuranga’s Saint Kentigern College has become well known for its on-field success, with regards to rugby. However, as one of the school’s past pupils and former First XV coach, Tai Lavea, recalls, the school has not always been on top of its game. “When I started [coaching Saint Kents’] in 2009, the team was the laughing stock of First XV rugby; [rebuilding] takes time. By the time I left, in February 2018, we had won the 1A title five times (between 2011 and 2017) and the national title once (2012). I guess you could say we did manage to turn things around.”
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Over recent years, private schools have received flak for winning by ‘player poaching’. And yet, speaking as someone who some would say was ‘poached’ himself, Tai points out that there are two sides to this story. “[Attending a private school] is a very fortunate position to be in for the families as well as the students. For me, it was tough to adapt – academically and culturally as well as sporting-wise – but it was a fantastic opportunity,” he says. “Scholarships provide huge opportunities, and not just in sport. Youngsters can benefit from the best possible education, so
[scholarships] don’t just develop professional sportspeople, they’re about giving young people strong foundations [from which] to succeed in life.” It must be noted that, with the exception of international level, professional sports teams are not restricted to drawing from home-grown talent. And, as private schools cover no set zone, everyone and anyone could be considered local. Now coaching Counties Manukau Steelers, Tai is set on helping the union, despite a slow start, recover from its relegation to the Mitre 10
Cup Championship last season. “There’s a lot of groundwork to be done. Winning will be a by-product of setting all that in place. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t coach to lose and I hate losing, but you have to have the right processes in place first,” he says. Along with his twin, Tasesa (the current Saint Kents First XV coach), Tai grew up in South Auckland before attending Saint Kents, initially on cricket scholarships. While his professional playing career began and ended with Brisbane North, a feeder team for the NRL’s Melbourne Storm, Tasesa www.eastlife.co.nz
