Everyone impressed with Ted's talk
'Impressive club - best wishes', World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry wrote in MSP's visitors' book after a talk to coaches at the clubrooms on 16 April.
The 100 or so present were equally impressed with his presentation, which was organised by the WRFU at late notice for local coaches from college to premier level. Eight MSP coaches plus a number from St Pats College went along and enjoyed Ted's chat which started out with a brief recap of his coaching career from the Auckland Grammar 1st XV to the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions.
He even covered the dreaded 2007 RWC quarter-final loss, but the main theme was his playing philosophies, starting with the maxim of keeping the game simple. He's a firm believer in getting the fundamentals right, particularly having a good set piece and gaining the advantage line. Without those two building blocks in place nothing else functions, he said.
Ted was in a relaxed and humorous mood, with the closing question and answer session particularly enjoyable. All the coaches, from newcomers to veterans, got something out of his presentation. Karin Graham (pictured) commented: 'Even I found one of the ABs' drills easy to follow and was able to tell my husband how it worked'.
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