Coaches in the Spotlight

Paul Roberts, Head of Rugby 2017 – Present

We have seen results improving year by year, particularly the 1st XV, so what has been the reason for this and what have been the key coaching successes that have been introduced over the past few years that are producing these results now?

I think this is the result of a lot of hard work from coaches and students over many years. From a coaching perspective, I cannot overstate how incredible the coaches we have at Trinity are. They absolutely love coaching rugby and give everything to their students. We are constantly reflecting and discussing how to improve, how we can adjust our sessions to get the most out of each particular group of students. I myself have improved so much as a coach from just being around a special group of people and having the opportunity to learn with them. If there has been one thing that has set the senior teams apart over the past few years it has been their love for the game and how much they enjoy playing with, and being around, one another. That culture has been fostered by our coaches, but it has been driven by our students, who I know are keen to pass it on to future year groups.

How do you go about blending the Lower and Upper Sixth students into a cohesive and successful squad?

This is a tough one to answer: I think this is driven very much by the students themselves. Ultimately, I think the responsibility is on the Upper Sixth; they have to take the lead in making the younger year feel welcome. Having had a year of senior rugby and being in the Sixth Form under their belt, they have walked in the younger year group’s shoes, and they understand how much the previous Upper Sixth did to support them. If the Upper Sixth do their job well, the Lower Sixth will appreciate it and recognise that is their turn to take the lead the following year. There is something special about seeing the two year groups come together and how, in the space of a few months, students can go from barely knowing each other to building life-long friendships. I look forward to seeing this year’s Lower Sixth take the lead next year.

The international schools competition in Thailand looked to be a tough gig, but what were the highlights from the coaching staff’s point of view and lessons learnt?

To have the opportunity to go and challenge ourselves against the best schools in the world was a special experience for the boys and staff. There were some incredibly tough games, but you wouldn’t expect anything less and we learnt a lot. The highlight for me was seeing our group go through some adversity and watching them stick together to work through it and come out as a more closely knit group because of it. From a coaching perspective, getting to see other exceptional teams from across the world train and play, and then to sit down each evening with their coaches and discuss ideas, had me noting down plenty of new ideas on the plane home.

The greatest player ever born, in any position, anywhere in the world?

Ardie Savea