Coaches from the Canterbury Crusaders are touring the USA running sessions and clinics for a variety of levels and age groups as they spread the rugby gospel.
The tour doesn’t really have a business motivation as you might expect—a major Super Rugby franchise, perhaps the most storied of them, sending coaches around the United States out of the goodness of their hearts? Well, sure.
Tony Flay and Shane Fletcher represent the Crusaders International Rugby Academy in Christchurch, NZ, and they are the ones traveling the USA connecting with rugby communities.
They ran a three-day session with the Seattle Rugby Club teaching the “Crusader Way.” The three days addressed different levels of the games, from youth to pros, and players to coaches. But the focus was on culture and creating a winning environment.
“People are often looking for that silver bullet, that one drill or tactic that’s going to turn them into a winning side, but the truth is that’s not really how it works,” said Fletcher. “We’re not just going in and saying ‘do this.’ Instead we’re working a lot more on concepts of leadership and fostering leadership, and engendering an environment of family.”
Fletcher used the Maori word Kia, which really is about a state of being.
Flay, who is originally from New Zealand but was capped for the USA Eagles and played in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, was a New Zealand age-grade representative and is now a resource coach with the Crusader International Academy. He is based in Virginia and oversees North America for the Academy.
