Rugby Coach Weekly

Top tips for refereeing age grade rugby for 2026 season

Send us Fan Mail Refereeing age-grade rugby is rarely straightforward, particularly when you are also the coach. Dan Cottrell is joined by Advantage Over podcast host a

Talent, Pathways and Potential, with Martin Mctaggart

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell speaks to Martin McTaggart, RFU Playing Pathways Manager, about the EDGE framework, a wa

Honesty, Detail and the Art of Coaching the Scrum, with Mark Williams

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dan Cottrell speaks to Mark Williams, head coach of North Division U18s, lead rugby coach at Birkenhead School, a forward's coach

50 22 The pros and cons pads, shields and tubes

Send us Fan Mail Pads, tackle shields and crash mats can be some of the most useful kit in a rugby session, but only when coaches know exactly why they are using them.

50 22 Tools for neurodivergent inclusion

Send us Fan Mail One in five players may be neurodivergent, and rugby is often a sport that attracts players who think, learn and experience the world differently. The g

50:22 Fault correction and when to say nothing

Send us Fan Mail Fault correction sits at the heart of coaching, but done poorly it kills flow, confidence and learning. In this episode, Dan Cottrell and Stu James brea

50:22 Coaching Belief, Not Just Skill

Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest thing holding your players back is not skill but belief? In this episode, Dan Cottrell, head coach at Rugby Coach Weekly and Stuart

The biggest myths in rugby stats, with Sam Larner

Send us Fan Mail What really wins rugby matches — instinct or insight? In this episode, Dan Cottrell sits down with rugby analyst, journalist, and coach Sam Larner to u

What Instagram clips don’t show about coaching, with Sam Mace of SMPerformance

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell speaks to coach and former professional player Sam Mace about the journey from playing t

Sustainable performance in high-pressure environments

Send us Fan Mail What does sustainable performance actually look like in elite sport and leadership? In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan speaks with

Be the adult in the room, with Tara Lynn

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to be the adult in the room? In this powerful and honest conversation, I sit down with Tara Lynn, transformational coach and t

Skill Acquisition Without the Noise and Coaching Through Mistakes with Job Fransen

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dan Cottrell is joined once again by skill acquisition specialist Job Fransen, Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University and Mana

Inside The Rugby Paper: How rugby stories are built every week

Send us Fan Mail What actually happens on a Saturday night when the final whistle blows and rugby stories still need to be told? In this episode of the Rugby Coach Week

Building the future of English rugby, with Steve Grainger

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell sits down with Steve Grainger, Executive Director of Rugby Development at England Rugby,

Building a Coaching Playbook That Actually Changes Clubs, with Charlie Farrell

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to align dozens of volunteer coaches, hundreds of players, and a whole club around one clear development pathway? In this epis

Coaching with conviction, with Nash Cohen

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell is joined by performance coach Nash Cohen to explore what it really means to coach with

Why Toughness Is Misunderstood in Rugby, with Jack Heald

Send us Fan Mail What does real toughness look like in rugby? In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell is joined by Jack Heald, Director of Rugby

What Really Matters When You Inherit a Losing Team, with Ross Bundy

Send us Fan Mail What do you stabilise first when you inherit a team at the bottom of the table? In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell speaks

Why better sessions don’t start with better drills

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dan Cottrell is joined by Phil Kearney, Associate Professor at the University of Limerick and co-founder of an organisation focused on

KatieFest and the Power of Inclusive Rugby

Send us Fan Mail In this Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell sits down with Darren Rea, John Peel, and Gareth Lewis to explore how inclusive SEND rugby has grown fr