Scottish Rugby Roadshow Illustrates How High Performance and The Community Game Can Succeed Together

An information roadshow, hosted by Scottish Rugby’s senior leadership from both Community and High Performance Rugby, met with coaches and administrators across Glasgow, Caledonia Midlands, Borders, Caledonia North and Edinburgh.  

The topic of discussion – a re-envisaged player pathway aimed at greater alignment between Community Rugby and High Performance with the aim of accelerating Scotland’s best talent into a senior national jersey. 

David Nucifora, Scottish Rugby’s Performance Director, who attended roadshow events in Borders College and Highlands RFC, believes creating healthy pressure within the pathway will increase competition for players and improve on-field performance. 

Speaking at the event in Borders, Nucifora said: “Scottish Rugby is investing in its pathway because our aim is to ensure that we maximise every player’s potential, to allow them to be the best they can be. If we can achieve that, we’re going to create pressure within the pathway, within the professional game, which ultimately creates performance.”  

Al Kellock, the 56-times capped Scotland international who was appointed Scottish Rugby Head of Performance Pathways earlier this year, is tasked with ensuring Scotland maximise the potential of its talented young players. 

Neil Graham, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Regional Pathways & Game Development, was the architect of the roadshow and is an advocate of Community Rugby and High Performance working closely together so that all of Scottish Rugby benefits.   

Graham said: “The community game and high performance can strengthen their alignment by having real clarity of roles and responsibilities, by communicating really effectively with all key stakeholders, by knowledge-sharing from top to bottom and by having a shared ownership of success when a player comes through the pathway and runs out at Murrayfield for Scotland.” 

One of the most significant changes in the new approach is in how Scottish Rugby will support players in the National Talent Pathway (NTP) programme. Increased levels of service will now be delivered in the player’s existing rugby environment. NTP players will receive coaching, athletic performance, nutrition and medical support in their club or school reducing stress and disruption.   

Al Kellock explains: “Our new pathway system sees NTP 1 and 2 moving out back into the clubs and schools, into the environments where these players are actually coming through. That will help the players but also help the environment. 

“And we can make sure that the knowledge spread is greater than any other union in the world. We can be running NTP sessions on a Monday and have full access for all the clubs and schools in that area to come in and watch those sessions to understand what our coaches are delivering and then be able to take it back to their clubs and schools and deliver it every Tuesday,” continued Kellock. 

The highly experienced and respected coach Kenny Murray has been appointed to the role of National Talent Pathway Lead by Scottish Rugby. Part of Kenny’s wide-ranging remit is to  ensure that the High Performance staff are driving the standards across the pathway and developing strong relationships with the Clubs and Schools coaches. 

Kenny explains how High Performance staff can work hand in hand with club and schools coaches: “In our new model, we will get into the school and the club environments. We’ll provide the coaching resource, medical resource, athletic performance.  

“We’ll work closely with the staff at those schools and clubs to make sure that there’s real alignment on what we’re trying to achieve for the player. So if they’re on a specific gym programme that we lead, the clubs are aware of that. So that programme works well because the club get to have the player in their program where we’re not taking them out all the time,” said Murray 

Two other crucial elements in the new approach to the National Talent Pathway is a focus on creating challenging playing opportunities to advance player development and an increase in pressure in the system meaning that there will be entries and exits from the programme.  

Murray emphasises the need to stretch players and always keep in mind what is best for the player and their development: “Once they come into our program, it’s about making sure that they get not only the coaching support but are also getting a playing program that supports their development at their age. “Whether that be club or school, moving into the regional talent pathway and then into potentially national age grade for some of the boys.  

“We’re looking at new ways to stretch them in terms of playing opportunities. And as we ID talent, we are looking to make sure that it isn’t a closed loop and we want to get a bit of pressure in the system so that people are progressing the whole time. 

“We’re constantly looking at games across schools and clubs. The NTP staff have a process in place when they are watching games that they can feed back online. We’re capturing information on not only our NTP players but also on other players who play in those games and then we can start to see if there’s players that are coming up regularly then we can focus in on them. So there’s going to be ongoing entry and exit across the whole pathway whether it’s the three years of the NTP or even into the pro academy,” continued Murray.  

ROADSHOW ATTENDEE FEEDBACK 

“I thought it was very positive because if you’re looking at the individual, for me that’s what it’s all about. In the past what’s happened is that somebody wants the best under-18 team, under-16 team, under-20 team. What I suggest here is not easy, it’s to hone in on that individual. And I think also what was key to coming tonight was the boys of community network system. I think really there’s something we joke about in the past that once you’re in the system it’s difficult again because the time you keep them there when boys may be plateaued and you should just take them out of the system and put them back in the club. And the later developers have not had a chance to complete. So that was really positive.” Rob Moffat, Melrose Rugby Club 

“Currently we have players travelling all the way to Dundee so three hours down getting a session and coming back. So, we can have players’ centres, we can have coaches coming up to see us, and then our performance players aren’t having to travel for so much, and then our wider players are getting an opportunity to get some experience some exposure from someone from the talent pathway.” Ruaridh MacDonald, Highland Rugby Club, Development Officer 

“The amount of people that were here, all having a voice and sharing their ideas with us, I think it was really great. And I really like that you’re focusing on the player as well, and the support that other players can get through the pathway.”  Justin Hendricks, Highland Rugby Club 

“I love the fact that it’s not a closed loop, that you can step in and step out. How often do you see someone develop a different rate physically, mentally, and maybe that high level stuff isn’t for them at a chosen point in time but actually with a bit of reflection, a bit of hard work, back in the training fits within their clubs and the right mentoring from high level coaches as far as rugby, they can actually come back at it at various stages and points in their rugby career. It’s really important that that’s available and obviously is, it’s very obvious it is. So, looking forward to seeing that happen.” John Scott, Club Rugby Board Member – Caledonia North