Last weekend not only saw the resumption of the National League 2017/18, but also the Singapore Rugby Union host Darryl Suasua from New Zealand. Darryl is the current Counties Manukau Mitre Ten Cup Head Coach and also the Assistant Coach of Manu Samoa.
On Day 1, Darryl shared his philosophy around attack and defence in the 15s game to a group of 20 keen local coaches and players. His insights included building team culture, the emphasis on the principles of play by creating understandable contexts, and playing to a team’s strengths by adapting coaching style and game plans to suit the team.
“It was good for beginner coaches in terms of developing phase play by understanding the needs of the teams we have at our disposal,” said former national coach Peerose Shah.
The coaches and players also learned attack and defence principles and possession retention skills to implement into their own trainings.
National Coach Mark Lee clearly enjoyed the masterclass – “Darryl’s session was a very enjoyable and engaging one. More often than not, the use of imagery and conditioned games are underestimated to develop one’s rugby skills. I do hope to see more sessions conducted by him in the future.”
SCC Coach Suhaimi Amran was thankful as well – “It was a good opportunity to be able to exchange knowledge and share some coaching philosophies, visions, and ideas with Darryl – a very experienced coach at a professional level.You don’t get this opportunity everyday.”
On Day 2, Darryl took the National & Club coaches through his 7s attack and defence philosophies. This included valuable tips on attack, defence, set pieces, and team selections.
Callum Findlay, Bucks RFC Women’s coach was clearly inspired – “Darryl provided insights into the modern roles of players in sevens game play. He emphasised the importance of set pieces and their contribution to gaining, disrupting, and keeping possession together with the defensive structure and alignment. We would like to thank Darryl for passing on his knowledge and allowing the coaching group to engage in two thought-provoking workshops that challenged coaching outlook and detailed the principles of play that we are all governed by.”
“The SRU is pleased to host Darryl Suasua and is thankful to World Rugby for arranging the visit, & Counties Manukau for releasing him for this series of coaching workshops. Suasua brought a fresh perspective to coaching in terms of being able to deliver content at a specific level, yet keeping it fresh for the learners. He gave tactical advise for 7s & 15s for both attack & defence, and has a clincal eye for detail. We look forward to working closely with Darryl on the World Rugby Level 3 Coaching course in Singapore over the next few days & wish him the best for the rest of his Asian Tour,” said SRU Technical Director Gene Tong.
