Brian Ashton Blog
Brian Ashton will be updating this area of the SCD Southwest website with regular thoughts and views. While he is away he will feed back regularly so that you can keep in touch with all the work he is doing at home and abroad.
Lee Byrne is right: Wales must think before kicking 06.03.2010
Not for the first time this season, I find myself thinking about some of the language commonly used by managers, coaches and players in today's game.
I've already had my say about some of the jargon I find exasperating "drill", "breakdown", "ball-carrier", "going through the phases" and after last weekend's round of Six Nations matches, I was left trying to make sense of another phrase. Martin Johnson, the England manager, said he thought his side had "played too much rugby" at certain times against Ireland. What did this mean, precisely?
From my perspective, I can only think Martin meant "too much ineffective rugby". At least, I hope this is what he meant. If players move the ball through the hands deep in their own 22, open up space for a runner coming on to the ball at the
Super 14's fearless creativity makes it a joy 28.02.2010
I am not a person who needs much of an excuse to watch Super 14 rugby, or to return to my northern roots by casting an eye over the latest happenings in top-class rugby league, so I did not exactly struggle to fill my time during last weekend's break from Six Nations activity.
The Super 14 broadcasts were of particular interest in light of Danny Cipriani's decision to head Down Under at the end of the season, and to judge by some of the imaginative, free-flowing stuff currently being played in the southern hemisphere, I'm quite happy to predict that he'll revel in his new surroundings.
Super 14 has had a bad press up here in Britain the critics see it as a form of rugby candyfloss invented by, and played for, television while the more die-hard union followers have dismissed
Italian Rugby needs to find its soul 20.02.2010
When you reach my age let's say I'm past my three score years and leave it at that you don't expect too many new experiences to come your way, but I achieved a first in Rome, one of my favourite cities, last weekend.
Never before had I watched England play live away from home without being directly involved in the coaching set-up, and to find myself doing so at Stadio Flaminio, a very old haunt of mine, was quite an irony.
Encouraged by my good friend Dick Greenwood, the England back-row forward, I travelled to Italy for a spell of club rugby in the mid-1970s, cutting my coaching teeth there with the help of two of the game's great visionaries, Carwyn James and Pierre Villepreux, both of whom were living and working in the country. During my first season, Stadio Flaminio was my
Individuals make the best team players 13.02.2010
"There is no 'I' in 'teams'." Most of us who have been involved in coaching or management for any length of time are familiar with this well-worn phrase, which, given the frequency with which it is heard, might more accurately be called a mantra.
Like many snippets of home-spun sporting philosophy, it attempts to capture the essence of a basic truth: in this case, that the significance of the individual in a team game is as nothing compared to the importance of the collective. And like many of these one-liners, it misses the point.
Just ask Warren Gatland about the influence of individuals, their thought processes and their decision-making. I'd be very interested to know the Wales coach's private view on Alun Wyn Jones and his visit to the sin bin during last week's Six Nations
The intensity and ecstasy create a buzz like no other 08.02.2010
It is unique. I can think of no annual international team tournament anywhere in the world that rivals the Six Nations Championship in heightening the emotions and captivating the mind.
For the players, it is both physically demanding and mentally draining. For the coaches and I have first-hand knowledge here it is an all-consuming experience, bordering on the claustrophobic. For the supporters, it is irresistible. What other event drives so many people with no hope of laying their hands on a match ticket to travel around Europe at considerable personal expense, just for the fun of being in the proximity?
To them, it is almost an annual holiday. To those directly involved, it is most certainly not a holiday, of any description. The Six Nations is an unusually intense amalgam of
O'Driscoll has the flair to make Six Nations sparkle 04.02.2010
There is always a crackle of excitement when the Six Nations Championship comes into view, but unfortunately we have yet to lose sight of the stilted performances turned in during the autumn by the northern hemisphere countries, with the single exception of Ireland.
It leaves me wondering exactly what we can expect from the forthcoming tournament. Will the coaches be brave enough to take a step or two back and allow players to navigate their own way through these high-profile, high-pressure contests, or will we see the playbooks and patterns proliferating once again?
With this in mind, I'll be looking closely at the players wearing the Nos 12 and 13 because in many important respects, these will be the people setting the tone for the competition. Is it too much to hope that they
Want a winning team? It's all in the mindset 16.01.2010
The mindset matters. History and experience tell us that when all other things are equal in the pressurised cauldron of elite sport, those with the ability to think clearly, stay on-process in the face of distraction and exert some control over the way decisions are made at important moments are the ones most likely to succeed.
These are the gifts that separate the world-class player from for want of a better word the "ordinary" international. So how is it that in rugby, less time is spent working on the mental side of the game than on any other area of high-level performance?
It seems to me that there is an absence of logic here. Specialists in mental skills tend to be called upon as a last resort when things are going badly wrong, as opposed to going well. Surely, it should
Revolution in attacking play is the way forward 09.01.2010
The New Year weekend seemed as good a time as any to feel positive about the future: if these annual celebrations are about anything, they're about hope.
So it was that I settled down to watch the Guinness Premiership action in a mood of high-minded optimism, only to be disappointed by many of the things I witnessed. Perhaps it was destined to turn out that way. After all, it is also the season for pantomimes.
With the trials, tribulations and negativity of 2009 behind us, I felt there was a chance that the first action of 2010 would offer something fresh. What did we see and hear? A lot of shouting and posturing, much of it from coaches and administrators, about problems in the game that would be much less problematic if more people worried less about what cannot be achieved and
And now for Something Completely Different... 05.01.2010
Classical scholars amongst us might describe the rugby year of 2009 as an annus extrarius: a strange 12 months bordering on the bizarre, what with the fake blood business, the drugs scandals, the inexplicable plague of gouging incidents and all the rest of it.
Perhaps the oddest aspect was the near-hysterical reaction from some quarters to the change in the law at the contact area, allowing the tackler more latitude in contesting possession. Some coaches seemed to think it was the worst thing ever to have happened to the game, but they were quickly put in their place by teams like New Zealand, Australia and Leinster, who, with the aid of strong and accurate refereeing, proved there was plenty of opportunity for positive, intelligent attacking play.
Being someone who prefers to look
A resolution for referees: lay down law from the off 27.12.2009
I'd like to start by awarding full marks to Alan Lewis, the Irish referee, for his handling of last weekend's Heineken Cup match between Toulouse and Cardiff Blues.
Lewis did something rather unusual and, in the process, did the game a significant favour by sending Paul Tito, the Blues captain, to the sin bin a few minutes into the contest. Most referees wouldn't dream of taking such decisive action against a player committing a ruck offence at so early a juncture, and this has become a problem for the sport. When officials shy away from their responsibilities, it is always the rugby that suffers.
Some of the people I played with and against in the dim and distant past will read this homage to Mr Lewis and wonder if I've finally flipped my lid: they remember how, during my time
A great man once told me never to play by the rules 22.12.2009
Will Greenwood, one of the more constructive English rugby players of the professional era, is a television pundit these days, and one of the phrases he used in respect of the Sale outside-half Charlie Hodgson during the Heineken Cup game at Harlequins last weekend struck a chord with me.
He described Charlie as a player who was "happy to go off-script when he thinks the situation calls for it", or something to that effect, and it went a long way towards explaining why Quins found their opponents such a handful, even though they were the ones playing at home.
Going back a few years decades, probably I remember the great French coach Pierre Villepreux talking along similar lines. One of his favourite sayings was "play with your eyes", by which he meant "don't play it by the
Baa-Baas showed what imagination can deliver 12.12.2009
Barbarians rugby may have lost a little of its lustre since the dawning of the professional era and the explosion of interest in events at club level, but to my mind it is still something to treasure not least when the Baa-Baas are involved in a high-quality match that challenges some of the orthodoxies of the modern game.
This happened last weekend at Twickenham, where they achieved a rare and precious victory over the All Blacks. I found their performance fascinating, especially in the current climate of doom and gloom.
How was it that a team thrown together over a few days one which, in the words of the coach Nick Mallett, had only two "walkabout training sessions" could beat a side as good as New Zealand in front of 63,000 spectators? Admittedly, a Barbarians fixture does
A confident fly-half can bring tightest game to life 09.12.2009
After weeks of incessant clamour from coaches and administrators about the difficulty of scoring tries under the rules currently being applied in the tackle area, what happened in the last round of international and Premiership matches? A scoring frenzy.
Tries came along like Blackpool trams, one after another: 25 of them in five games alone, with well over half being credited to the away teams. For those of us who enjoy seeing lazy theories being disproved, it was good fun.
The teams responsible for most of this scoreboard activity New Zealand and Australia; Northampton, Leicester and Harlequins had something in common. All fielded a genuinely gifted footballer at outside-half. Dan Carter and Matt Giteau; Shane Geraghty, Toby Flood and Nick Evans ... these are players
It is the money men who are suffocating our game 29.11.2009
There is a tremendous amount of noise being generated around rugby by people worried about the "state of the game", by which I take them to mean the recent shortage of dynamic, end-to-end action, together with a sharp drop in the number of tries seen in the Premiership and, in many instances, at international level as well. I believe there are strong grounds for concern, but what really intrigues me is the deafening silence from certain stakeholders in the sport.
For one thing, we're not hearing too many complaints from the commercial side. The ball may be spending endless amounts of time in the air as straitjacketed teams attempt to lure each other into a mistake, but the grounds are still filling up and the money is still coming in. As for the players themselves... well, they're
All Blacks show how to nurture smarter players 21.11.2009
Some of the rugby I've seen played in the British Isles of late, including major international contests, has set me thinking anew about what I consider to be one of the burning topics in the modern game: the relationship between coaches and players, both before a match and during it.
The arrival of the All Blacks in London is another reason to revisit the subject, because under their current coaches Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith they seem to be ahead of the field in striking the correct balance.
When the sport first went professional, I remember one Test player saying that, as he was now an employee, it was his job to do as his coach told him. I found it as exasperating then as I do now, for I have long held the view that this is not true; that in a game as complex
England need to get on the Aussies wavelength 16.11.2009
Read Brians thoughts every Saturday in the Independent, or go to www.independent.co.uk
Argentina secured a famous victory when they last visited Twickenham in 2006 I remember it distinctly, having been part of the England coaching team at the time and when they make their return visit this afternoon, they will again pose certain dangers. Most of the perils will be concentrated in their forward pack, which is rightly considered to be one of the most formidable in the international game but to my way of thinking, the most intriguing thing about the South Americans will be their approach away from the more static phases of play.
It may be that they won't have much of an approach at all that they will adopt the kind of heavy-hitting, no-frills strategy that has paid them
Weaker Wallabies must rediscover killer instinct 09.11.2009
It goes without saying that this afternoon's Twickenham international between England and Australia is an important one for both countries as they seek to build confidence and continuity ahead of the next World Cup, but I have to confess that it's more difficult than usual to take a firm view on how things will turn out. A big part of me struggles to see the Wallabies winning, for reasons I will explain. There again, there is always something perilous about writing off any Australian team ahead of the event.
Watching the tourists slide to another defeat at the hands of the All Blacks in Tokyo last weekend, it struck me that the most consistent thing about them was their inconsistency. There were some purple patches, especially early on, but there was no sign of them maintaining their
Wasps abuzz with ideas for breaching defences 31.10.2009
Brian writes for the Independent every Saturday....
The Guinness Premiership has taken its share of criticism over the last few days, not least from the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, who went for the jugular by describing this season's tournament as the worst he'd seen since first coming to these parts from New Zealand.
I'm sure Warren has his own motives for beating this particular drum at this precise moment, but he's hardly alone in thinking that the level of rugby in England's top domestic competition is not setting the world alight.
Under the circumstances, then, it was invigorating to see Wasps the very club Warren ran when he was making a very decent living out of the Premiership a few years ago produce a dynamic, well thought-out performance of considerable quality in
Thinking on our feet is the best game plan 25.10.2009
Brian's Saturday column for the Independent can also be found at www.independent.co.uk
Despite the fact that the season is still unfolding, rather like the way we stretch and yawn when first awakening, I have been fascinated by the number of games where teams have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Only last weekend, Harlequins and Bath, both at home in hugely attractive Heineken Cup ties, lost games where they had seemed to be heading in the right direction for victory. Quins led Toulouse 14-0 at half-time yet lost 19-23 while Bath were 21-9 up on Stade Franηais who still managed to leave The Rec as 29-27 victors.
These are not the only games this season where the art of game management has been less conspicuous than you would wish.
It is important to understand how
Two No9s can really put the quick into quick ball 20.10.2009
Brian writes for the Independent every saturday: www.independent.co.uk
Having enjoyed a succession of wonderful games last weekend, I felt a huge sense a gratitude to the Heineken Cup for reaching parts of me the Guinness Premiership has so far failed to reach.
The character and focus shown by London Irish in their immense victory over the holders Leinster in Dublin; the breathless battle-back by Leicester, seemingly on the canvas at home to Ospreys only to force a sensational 32-32 draw; the gripping contest of Test quality that saw Northampton withstand a typical Munster offensive at Franklin's Gardens thanks to the vision of Shane Geraghty and a mighty performance by their forwards.
Everywhere you looked there was drama, quality and excitement generated by Europe's premier
Coaches must go with the flow, free of jargon 03.10.2009
Brian writes for the Independent each Saturday with his views:
Last weekend, I was in the north of England talking to a group of coaches involved in schools rugby.
We found ourselves discussing the difference between drills-based coaching, of which I've long been deeply suspicious the word "drill" instantly conjures up an image of a sergeant major screaming, "This is how you do it", at soldiers marching up and down the parade ground and sessions based on problem solving, with which I'm far more comfortable.
It set me thinking about the language of rugby and how the repeated use of certain words and phrases affects the way many people approach the game here. "Drill" is a good example of what I would call negative or inhibiting language, because to my mind, there are a lot of
A week end up North !!! 30.09.2009
Spent the last week-end back in the North of England part work part pleasure with Helen and the dog ( Wurgo ! ) in attendance.
Having stayed the Friday evening with my Aunt in Glazebury nr Warrington we travelled the following day to Stonyhurst College , a school I taught at some years ago to watch them play against Arnold School , Blackpool.
There was an added attraction in that we were catching up with Bill Beaumont and Hillary plus other members of the family. Josh , Bills youngest son is the 1st XV captain of Arnold so we were supporting in opposite camps ! Unfortunately Josh was injured shortly before half-time and played no further part in the game that Stonyhurst won 13-0.
We then moved on to Sedbergh School where the work element was to be held. On the Sunday morning a
Brian Ashton: Anything is possible if you play without fear 29.09.2009
Much as I'd like to say that this season's Guinness Premiership has hit the ground running in the attacking sense, I can't pretend this is the case.
With the single exception of London Irish, who have secured both of the try-scoring bonus points registered over the opening three rounds of the tournament, it's not clear that anyone is running anywhere with a genuine sense of purpose. I'm not picking on the English club game for the sake of it, but the majority of the rugby I'm watching at the moment comes from the Premiership, where ambition has been in short supply.
Bold, imaginative attacking play does not automatically go hand in hand with a lack of defensive proficiency: London Irish have the third best defensive record in the country, so any notion that the two disciplines are
Simpson is leading a scrum-half resurgence 21.09.2009
Exactly two years ago, when I was coaching England at the World Cup in France, one of the serious issues we faced was a limited range of options at scrum-half, that most important of positions my old position, as it happens, although that was in the dim and distant past.
I wouldn't for a second wish to undervalue the contribution of Andy Gomarsall, who was one of the key figures in helping us reach the final against the expectations of a very significant majority, but Andy was already well into his thirties and therefore a shorter-term option.
It seems times have changed for the better. Last weekend I saw an exciting performance from the young Wasps half-back Joe Simpson, who used his startling pace to great effect against Bath. Indeed, I'd say he was one of the principal
Why can't more players think for themselves? 13.09.2009
I was struck by the comments of Bryan Redpath, the director of rugby at Gloucester, after his team's emphatic win over Bath on the opening Sunday of the new Premiership season.
He spoke afterwards of "player responsibility" an important subject about which many coaches up and down the country talk a good deal, but only in the sense of paying it lip service. Bryan was absolutely correct in saying that when players take the field, what happens next is down to them. But how many people in the professional game genuinely take this seriously?
It seems to me that many coaches are still obsessed with another, very different idea: that of the game plan. I've never had much liking for "game plans". In a sport as dynamic and full of movement as rugby union, any expectation of a game going
BRIAN ASHTON RUGBY ACADEMY 08.09.2009
During late August and early September this year the first Brian Ashton rugby Academy took place based on the Chateau du Molay in Calvados, Normandy, France.
The concept was born from an idea of Edwin Dorans of the sports travel company of the same name and developed ( as many of the best ideas are ) in a conversation over a pub lunch !
The object was to give schools an opportunity to travel outside England and prepare for the upcoming rugby season through a 5 day pre-season training camp at the Chateau.
Edwin Dorans company sorted out all the logisitics and I provided coaching on/off field wherever it was required.
The Chateau is situated just outside the village of Molay , 15 minutes from Bayeux and 45 from Caen both of which were used as alternative training venues.
The
Brian Ashton: French lessons can only improve our players 05.09.2009
Tackling the issues: A new column from the coach who took England to the 2007 World Cup final read it every Saturday in the Independent
A few months ago, before the Harlequins blood capsule scandal and the deeply disappointing end-of-season problems at Bath, the biggest controversy in English rugby concerned the exodus of players from the Guinness Premiership to the Top 14 tournament in France.
Some of the biggest names in the domestic game Jonny Wilkinson at one end of the age scale, James Haskell at the other, and a good few in between signalled a desire to cross the Channel. As a result, a lot of people, not least at the Rugby Football Union, grew very hot under the collar.
One of those expressing alarm was Rob Andrew, the director of elite rugby. That interested me. It
IRANZ IN THE USA 14.08.2009
From the 2nd to the 7th August I spent a fascinating week with the International rugby academy ( Run by Murray Mexted ex- All Black number 8 ) in Glendale , Colorado , USA.
Glendale has a brand new sporting facility with state of the art facilities surrounding a pitch dedicated to Rugby Union. It is an oasis in the land of American Football , Basketball and Baseball.
Two courses for Players and Coaches ran parallel and interacted whenever possible. It was a hectic week as the course had been shortened to fit in with local circumstances so working days began at 8.00 am and finished at 8.30 pm !
The majority of the participants of both courses were from the USA / North America and most had a remarkable enthusiasm for the development of the game in the USA.
We had a visit from Kevin
Rugby Academy @ St. Edward\'s School, Oxford. 31.07.2009
Spent an interesting and eventually very enjoyable 2 days earlier this week running a 2 day Rugby Academy at St. Edwards School , Oxford on behalf of the Independent Schools Coach Education. I had the valuable assistance of Evan Stewart ex captain of Loughborough Students.
Dodging the showers on the first morning we had decided to base the 2 days around and fun / learning experience and , therefore , spent the majority of the day working through games based scenarios highlighting various aspects of play. This was obviously a different approach for the players ( 11 13 year olds ) but one that they eventually grasped with relish.
The second day saw some split backs and forwards work before again to reverting to playing in teams to promote all the benefits of Game Understanding
WINNINGTON PARK COLTS CHALLENGE 13.07.2009
On the afternoon of Saturday 11th July , as part of my business / rugby day I took a session that was a part of a Colts Challenge which the club organizes each Summer.
As the players had previously had coaching from the Sale Sharks Academy staff and players on various techniques and unit skills of the game I decided to centre my session around creating some order from chaos in phase play and then moving on to playing in Attack and Defence from turn over ball.
It was clear that this games based approach was different for the players and they took some time to come to terms with the dynamism and decision making required. However towards the end of the session there were clear signs that the messages were being taken on board. Interestingly the communication levels between the
Leadership 04.07.2009
I have delivered two presentations recently on the above topic.
This is not leadership from a text book but from a combination of a lifetimes experience drawn from my own adventures and working with and under others in all areas of life.
Whilst leadership can come in many forms there is little doubt in my mind that having both the Courage to Fail and the ability to Adapt to changing and unexpected circumstances immediately are two consistent characteristics of outstanding leadership.
The two venues were very different in situation and audience. The first was the University of Warwick where I presented for the Football Association on their UEFA pro licence coaching award course. I was in distinguished footballing company with the likes of Gareth Southgate and Mike Phelan
An Evening at Christ's Hospital School 25.06.2009
Spent an interesting afternoon and evening at Christs Hospital School in Sussex on Friday 19th June.
I had been invited by Sean Davey (Premiership Referee and member of staff ) to run a coaching session with the squad of players from the school who are off on tour to Australia this Summer.
The players worked hard and with intelligence throughout the session which was based largely on Principles of play and decision making through games. Seventy five minutes of this also provided a good cardiovascular work out !!!
In the evening a dinner was held in the remarkable school dining room to raise money for the trip. It was well attended by approximately 370 people of all ages and both sexes. The dining room is remarkable in that it can seat the whole school (800 pupils + ) at one sitting
An Evening in Italian Rugby 08.06.2009
When I spent time in Italy recently I was invited to watch the National under 19 final of the Italian Rugby Federation. These were , one assumes , the two best sides of that age group in the country.
From a coaching perspective it was fascinating to see the two sides operate when the ball became ALIVE outside the set pieces how decisions were made and how they manoeuvred themselves around the field.
In fact , they did not actually manoeuvre themselves at all but were very clearly being operated by two very passionate and vocal coaches patrolling the touch line for the whole of the game.
It was a classic example of Autocratic coaching in action. Decisions either made in certain situations or areas of the pitch before the game commenced and carried through irrespective of the
My Italian Job 04.06.2009
On Saturday 30th May I presented to the Level 3 / 4 coaches from the whole of Italy on the topic of transition rugby how to play when you win or lose the ball in phase play. The presentation was done completely in Italian which, fortunately , has still not deserted me !
Also present were all the National Coaches of the Italian teams, including Nick Mallett , the Head Coach of the senior team.
I attempted to make the presentation as interactive as possible, giving the Italian coaches the opportunity to air their views , but with mixed success. As with most coaches at events such as this there is a reluctance to speak in public. However this allowed me to talk also about the relationship between the coaches and players that allows both to realise their full potential. This certainly
Interview with Kate Eddy 27.05.2009
Kate Eddy (ASCC)
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Team Bath
Brian Ashton joined Team Bath in 2008 as a consultant Director of Coaching where he works alongside Team Bath's coaches and support staff, in the areas of coach development and education applying his expertise in the principals of high level performance.
Lancastrian Ashton was born in Leigh and went to school in Leigh and Lancaster before studying History and Education at Leicester University. He went on to become a teacher and then rugby coach after a playing career which included an England touring side selection. Ashton coached Bath Rugby either as Assistant or Head Coach between 1989 and 1997. He also coached Ireland before moving on to an assistant role with England and then shouldered the main role when England
News & Events
North Midlands Conference RFU 06.03.2010
Hi Ian;
Just thought I would drop you a note to say what a great event it was yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. All the key speakers were ...
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