Junior Rugby coaching

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32838, 11 February 1972, Page 20

Junior Rugby coaching

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. Details of the inaugural national junior coaching school organised by the New Zealand Rugby Union were released yesterday. The school, to be held at Petone on March 18 and 19, will be attended by more than 100 delegates from the 26 member unions. The chairman of the New Zealand union (Mr J. L. Sullivan) said the programme left no doubt that all aspects of the game as they affected the young player would be put under the closest possible scrutiny.

The well-known coach, Mr J. J. Stewart, now of Wanganui, will be director of the school.

Each union, said Mr Sullivan, had been invited to send four delegates to the school. One would represent primary schools, another secondary schools, one would be a junior grade coach, and the fourth an experienced club captain. “The intention is that each of these four will be able to go back to his own centre and report on the school, and to pass on the ideas and theories tested and voiced at it, to people in his particular area.” The sessions on March 18

will include discussions on problems of the game at primary and secondary-school levels with practical sessions on pre-season training and the coaching of individual skills. In the evening a pane! of Rugby experts will answer questions from the floor. Various problems arising at club level will be hammered out in a morning session on March 19, with a practical coaching session as well. The afternoon sessions on March 19, will be largely outdoors. How to keep the interest of small players at practice will be one of the topics.