Changing the Culture of a Super Rugby Team

[Ali's Choice]

In the light of Mark Hammett's appointment this season at the Canes, and Jake White's appointment at the Brumbies, it has become increasingly clear that these men were appointed at least partly to change the culture of the Hurricanes and Brumbies respectively. Both Hammett and White were coaches from outside the region and were seen to come from teams with strong, successful cultures. Both the Hurricanes and the Brumbies have at various times being heavily criticised for having poor team 'cultures'.

But what are the factors that contribute to a team's culture, and how can a new coach change the established culture of a team?

IMO there are many factors that contribute to a S15 team's culture, these include

- The way a team is run at board level.
- The ability of the team's board and CEO to negotiate with and work effectively with the national union (NZRU or ARU).
- Local community attitudes towards their team.
- The senior playing group, and its ethos. In particular the work ethic this group have, and the responsibility they take for their own and the team's preparation.
- How historically successful the team has been. Success breeds confidence and more success.
- Recruitement policies and the host city's ability to attract and develop talented youngsters to S15 level through its academy system.
- Team finances.
- The quality and degree of innovation of the coaching staff.
- The relationship between the coaching team and the playing group.
- The way the players intearct off-field, and the context of their social interactions.
- The degree of ownership players, coaching and support staff feel about their team.
- The way the team's marketing department operates.

Whilst quite a few of these factors are able to be changed by the coach, many are out of a coach's sphere of influence. And even of those factors that can be influenced by the Head Coach, most take a fair bit of time.

Should Mark Hammett be cut a bit more slack, and should Canes fans understand that any change of culture at the Canes will be a longterm process?

And should Brumbies' supporters be prepared to give Jake White an equally substantial period of time for him to ressurect their fortunes?

 

[MrTimms]

Other will just point to the Reds and what Link was able to do in such a short time.

From what I know, he has taken an interest in all of those areas and the culture of the team changed nearly overnight. Some may not have been happy (players and back room staff) but he has stood firm and it has paid.

 

[Ali's Choice]

Other will just point to the Reds and what Link was able to do in such a short time.

From what I know, he has taken an interest in all of those areas and the culture of the team changed nearly overnight. Some may not have been happy (players and back room staff) but he has stood firm and it has paid.

Was the culture of the Reds as bad as the Canes or Brumbies? I know confidence was low, and high profile players were being poached by other teams, but the team always struck me as having pretty sound ethos and community support based on a sound degree of recent success in the early 1990s. And how much influence did Link have with the off-field management of the team. Having spent a bit of time in QLD in recent years I've always thought the Reds seemed like a relatively well run team.

 

[Bullrush]

I think Pat Lam has struggled with changing the Blues culture but in his 3rd season, it's starting to payoff. His 'Coach's Corner' each week is a good insight into his coaching style/ethos.

 

[Ali's Choice]

I think Pat Lam has struggled with changing the Blues culture but in his 3rd season, it's starting to payoff. His 'Coach's Corner' each week is a good insight into his coaching style/ethos.

The Blues have overall had a very good culture. They still boast several title winning players and are of course the equal 2nd most successful team in Super 12/14/15 Rugby history. Whilst they've had some lean, underachieving years, I don't think the Blues have ever been accused of having a bad culture. Certainly not to the same degree as the Canes or Brumbies anyway.

EDIT: And as you say, Lam is in his 3rd season. Canes fans turned on Hammett after their round one loss to the Highlanders, and I doubt Brumbies fans will accept three seasons of underachievement under White.

 

[Gagger]

Other will just point to the Reds and what Link was able to do in such a short time.

From what I know, he has taken an interest in all of those areas and the culture of the team changed nearly overnight. Some may not have been happy (players and back room staff) but he has stood firm and it has paid.

Link's appointment also coincided with a board level clearout with men that he has personal trust and relationships with (as I understand it). A lot of what he's been able to do has been facilitated by this

 

[cyclopath]

Link's appointment also coincided with a board level clearout with men that he has personal trust and relationships with (as I understand it). A lot of what he's been able to do has been facilitated by this

And indeed is probably no small part of the cancer at the Brumbies and Tahs - entrenched deadwood in boardrooms pushing their agendas.

 

[PaarlBok]

SA works a bit different then NZ, dunno about Aus.

John Mitchell and Carlos Spencer wont change the Lions culture. They have all the money they could wish for and wont change anything the way they are going. Nick Mallet started with the Stormers at the right spot four years back. Bottom structure. Know pretty well the Stormers have the best schoolboy platform, opened an excellent Academy, identified the best talent and kept them in the franchise. Rassie just took over when he left and today it paid excellent dividends. Its long term planning but it works well. Heyneke Meyer did exactly the same thing with the Brutes. Only the Brutes dont have the same amount of bottom talent, so the Brutes need to poach from schoolboys from somewhere else. The Sharks even more poaching needs to be done. Both the Sharks and Brutes Academies was the first and the reason why they lead the SA ship now for some time. Tin Ears probably have in Grey Bloem the best quality rugby manufacturers. They started one year later then WP and surely will finish their structure cycle to the top in a year or two.

In short its not the coach himself , its the quality of the player stock that counts specially the longer version of SupeRugby where you need real depth more then anything else.

 

[Gagger]

Paarl, I think you're about to get a messload of Queenslanders putting you right on that one!

 

[PaarlBok]

Paarl, I think you're about to get a messload of Queenslanders putting you right on that one!

Your the best man to help me out.:lmao:

I dunno the Aus situation. NZ have central contracting and the pool thing going. SA its provincial and the franchises base coming from the CC provinces.

 

[Ali's Choice]

In short its not the coach himself , its the quality of the player stock that counts specially the longer version of SupeRugby where you need real depth more then anything else.

Without wanting to argue with your point, I would suggest that the Hurricanes and Waratahs disprove your point. The Hurricanes have had the richest talent base in NZ for years. Last year the Hurricanes catchment comprised of no less than four 1st division provinces as opposed to the Crusaders and Highlanders two provinces. And the Waratahs have always enjoyed the richest talent base in Australia, and have generally had the best squad. A couple of years ago their squad boasted more than 20 Wallabies, including six Wallaby front rowers. Both teams have had all the talent in the world, yet squandered this advantage for a number of reasons. Clearly the depth of player talent alone is not an overriding factor in determining a team's culture or success.

 

[blues recovery]

Ali
Well done one of the most thought provoking and interesting threads seen. I think your opening statements capture the essence of cultural success. What makes a sustainably succesful Super Rugby team almost irrespective of the playing talent. What for example do the Crusaders have in built in their organisation versus say the Waratahs. Think it starts with a cohesive , innovative Board that allows management to manage and coaches to coach.

 

[Ali's Choice]

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the competence of a team's CEO, board, recruitment officers and marketing department is in some ways just as important as the quality of the coach. Yet these people seem to be completely unaccounatble when a team fails, and the coach is under almost immediate pressure. In almost every case that I can think of, show me a poor team culture or declining team culture, and I will show you a poorly performning board, CEO and admin team.

 

[PaarlBok]

Without wanting to argue with your point, I would suggest that the Hurricanes and Waratahs disprove your point. The Hurricanes have had the richest talent base in NZ for years. Last year the Hurricanes catchment comprised of no less than four 1st division provinces as opposed to the Crusaders and Highlanders two provinces. And the Waratahs have always enjoyed the richest talent base in Australia, and have generally had the best squad. A couple of years ago their squad boasted more than 20 Wallabies, including six Wallaby front rowers. Both teams have had all the talent in the world, yet squandered this advantage for a number of reasons. Clearly the depth of player talent alone is not an overriding factor in determining a team's culture or success.

Cantabs have been a front running province in the NPC over a long time, sure they win it last year? Look you can buy the best players you can get your hands on, may win it for a year but what about the future. Success draw the best players and specially young ones.

Supporters want instant success. Unfair to blame Hammett in his first year with the Canes. The Aus lot look like chicken runners alll over the franchises, no matter where they started.

 

[Jnor]

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the competence of a team's CEO, board, recruitment officers and marketing department is in some ways just as important as the quality of the coach. Yet these people seem to be completely unaccounatble when a team fails, and the coach is under almost immediate pressure. In almost every case that I can think of, show me a poor team culture or declining team culture, and I will show you a poorly performning board, CEO and admin team.

I think you're probably bang on the money there, but what practicable way is there to ensure that accountability across the whole team organisation, rather than the more obvious players/coaches??

There's no way I can see to do this without somehow radically changing the way the franchises are organised. And some of them still seem to work quite well anyway...

 

[Ali's Choice]

I think you're probably bang on the money there, but what practicable way is there to ensure that accountability across the whole team organisation, rather than the more obvious players/coaches??

There's no way I can see to do this without somehow radically changing the way the franchises are organised. And some of them still seem to work quite well anyway...

I guess it comes down to employing, or being lucky enough to have employed the right people at CEO and board level down to coaching staff, support staff and admin. Equally, I think recruitment and development of players is vital. Choosing the right players is vital. The Crusaders, for example, have historically identified leaders, hard workers and role models like Rueben Thorne, Todd Blackadder, Kieran Read and Brad Thorn, who were overlooked by other teams who were attracted to players with more x factor but less application.

 

[cyclopath]

I guess it comes down to employing, or being lucky enough to have employed the right people at CEO and board level down to coaching staff, support staff and admin. Equally, I think recruitment and development of players is vital. Choosing the right players is vital. The Crusaders, for example, have historically identified leaders, hard workers and role models like Rueben Thorne, Todd Blackadder, Kieran Read and Brad Thorn, who were overlooked by other teams who were attracted to players with more x factor but less application.

Very good point. Build a great product that brings results. Contrast the Tahs, for example, with their pursuit of "names" like Sailor and Tuqiri, amongst others, in the belief that an image alone will get the punters in. Too much has been centred on flashy marketing, the quick attention grab - the deafening, mindless sound-byte music at games for one thing, backed up by the vacuous voice-over guy shouting at you when to clap and cheer.
They should all watch the Field of Dreams. I'm pretty sure the catch-cry from that movie wasn't "Bung it together with balloons and doof-doof music and they will come".

 

[Ali's Choice]

Very good point. Build a great product that brings results. Contrast the Tahs, for example, with their pursuit of "names" like Sailor and Tuqiri, amongst others, in the belief that an image alone will get the punters in. Too much has been centred on flashy marketing, the quick attention grab - the deafening, mindless sound-byte music at games for one thing, backed up by the vacuous voice-over guy shouting at you when to clap and cheer.
They should all watch the Field of Dreams. I'm pretty sure the catch-cry from that movie wasn't "Bung it together with balloons and doof-doof music and they will come".

I completely agree with your point. There is a crisis in rugby marketing. I might be old fashioned, but give me a good 1st Xv clash or club game as pre-game entertainment over cheer girls or loud music.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Ali, I don't have a lot to add other than your series of posts are absolutely bang on the money. You've pretty much covered it all.

 

[PaarlBok]

I completely agree with your point. There is a crisis in rugby marketing. I might be old fashioned, but give me a good 1st Xv clash or club game as pre-game entertainment over cheer girls or loud music.

We have a lot of Vodacom curtain raisors for S15 matches. Thought you lot have Academies or club matches in stead, schoolboy?