CHRISTIAN Lealiifano has revealed his desire to one day coach the Brumbies, and the five-eighth has already taken the first steps by acting as the team’s de facto backs coach in 2016.
Working closely with Brumbies coach Stephen “Bernie” Larkham on set-plays and attacking strategy, Lealiifano is being groomed to one day emulate Larkham, who blazed the trail by going from Canberra’s playmaker to coach.
At 28, Lealiifano still has much playing to do, but significant injury battles throughout his career also forced him to consider his future beyond that, and coaching his team is a strong ambition.
“If they’d have me I’d love to, it has been a massive part of my life the Brumbies. Bernie grew up here and is living the dream to be able to coach his childhood team,” Lealiifano told The Daily Telegraph.
The playmaker will hold the keys to victory when the Brumbies host the Waratahs in Canberra on Friday night to determine the strongest team in the Australian conference, and this week is studying footage to unlock NSW’s defence.
It is virtually unheard of for a player in any code to publicly declare their intentions to coach while at the peak of their powers, but Lealiifano had to seriously contemplate his future after breaking his leg in 2012.
“It really came about through all my injuries, you watch the game differently, you’re studying different clips and footage and seeing things differently,” he said.
“I really got a kick out of that. When I broke my leg that was a key time for me, I was cutting clip after clip and showing Bernie what I’d found.
“He was surprised by it and said, “Mate, you’d make a really good coach one day’.
“We followed it up and I started to think about more genuinely.
“I’ve always loved rugby, I never thought coaching was something I’d do down the line but I’m getting a bit older now and when it’s time to move on it might drive me.
“I’ve spoken to Bernie about my aspirations to coach one day and he was more than happy to accommodate that for me this year without overworking me, because obviously I’m co-captain now and play-calling, kicking goals.
“He didn’t want to overload with me too much so it’s been a subtle adaptation, but quite rewarding too because he has given me little segments for the backline to introduce and to take over and study and have input into some of our meetings and trainings.
“I enjoy connecting with my teammates and understanding them on a different level beyond footy.
“To be able to know someone on a personal level and hopefully have an impact where they can grow is really rewarding.”
Lealiifano added with a grin: “You see all these has-beens coaching now; Bernie, [Daryl] Gibson, [Michael] Foley, I thought if these guys can hang in then I’m going to hang in there as long as I can.”
Larkham has no doubt Lealiifano will cut it as a clipboard man.
“The decision to make him co-captain and the reason for him to be a great coach are very similar; he has a really good feel for the team, he gets on well with everyone, and he’s got the respect of all the players,” Larkham said.
“He works really hard at his game, he works hard on making sure there is a gel between all the players. He also works hard on analysing the opposition week to week.
“He’s got a great feel within the team, he knows when to push guys and when not to push guys.
“I think we’re two different players. He’s got a bit more power about his game, I probably had a bit more glide.
“But I certainly see that the way he sees the game is similar to the way I saw the game.
“But he sees it from a slightly different perspective because he needs to see it how he can break through the line whereas I would see it as how I could break the line, and that’s the challenge he’ll face when he becomes a coach because you see it from your perspective all the time but you need to be able to see it from someone else’s perspective — he has the ability to do that.”
Lealiifano believes the key to coaching success is not to distance yourself from players but rather grow closer to them.
“There is a person behind the player, it’s going to be hard, there’s obviously players you’re going to have to cut, players you have to drop, but it’s easier if you have a different connection with them,” Lealiifano said.
“Michael Cheika does that really well. It’s easier to have tough conversations with people if you’re really connected with them.”
