Meet the Scotland Coach Transforming American Football
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 10 * * * Tuesday 21 February 2017 The Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 21 February 2017 * * * 11 Sport Rugby Union EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Meet the Scotland Cockerill: I do not have any bitterness coach transforming towards Leicester EXCLUSIVE young Scottish players through as I did at Leicester with the Youngs American Football brothers, Dan Cole and several Former Tigers coach to others. I don’t believe in doing a job take reins at Edinburgh part-time, be there for a few days then home somewhere else for a couple of days, so Edinburgh is for Dressing-room bust-up the whole family. claims untrue, he says “As a head coach you have to set the tone. You are either in or you By Mick Cleary are out. And I am definitely in.” A wholesale commitment to the RUGBY UNION CORRESPONDENT cause has always defined Cockerill. Yet he bridles at the suggestion that Richard Cockerill believes that he he was responsible for changing- ichie Gray year contract in 2012 – would be Collision course: (right) Baltimore will do “a better job at Edinburgh room rants prior to his dismissal. He Richie Gray’s expertise can vividly plundered. Enter the Dolphins. versus Miami in the NFL last season than he did at Leicester”, when he accepts that he had a different out- on tackling means he remember the “At the 2015 World Cup I got a and (below) Richie Gray takes over the reins at the Scottish look to head coach, former All Black shock he felt call from Wayne Diesel, the head of club in the summer. Aaron Mauger, but vehemently is in demand from the first time high performance at the Dolphins,” American sport or rugby league is Cockerill has bounced back from rejects the notion that they had been Miami to Galashiels, he started said Gray. “He asked me to spend a primarily designed to help his what he calls “a difficult time”, at public loggerheads or that he had he tells Richard Bath working with week with his coaches on the work in his true obsession: rugby following his sacking by Leicester been asked to leave the dressing R the Miami whole tackle area. USA Football union. last month, ending a 23-year asso- room following any outbursts. Dolphins. has a whole programme where “The only way I’ll ever consider ciation with the Midlands side as “All that sort of stuff that was He had been brought up in the they are trying to create this rugby myself the best collision/skills player, coach and director of rugby. bandied about at the time [of the hard school of Scotland’s Border technique in their tackling because coach on the planet is if I can do it The 46-year-old denied to The sacking] did p--- me off, this per- Leagues, where he had developed concussion is such a major in union, league and NFL,” he said. Daily Telegraph that there had been ception given that I was a shouty, a geekish obsession with the tackle problem. It’s about the sort of “Rugby will always be my No1 dressing-room bust-ups that might mouthy bugger and nothing else,” and breakdown before going on to heads-up tackling you see in rugby, priority, so if I can bring things have factored in his dismissal, stat- become a collision coach for the where we use the shoulder and back from NFL to union, or from ing that he “holds no bitterness” Springboks and currently for target the wrap, but as NFL is all league to union, it’d be like towards the Tigers. Scotland. about winning the yard, it has to be creating the perfect recipe.” A short-term assistant coach’s job He had even worked in Super in a context of knocking people Gray has been a self-confessed at Toulon has revitalised Cockerill League with Paul Sculthorpe and back, just trying to do it safer and rugby obsessive since a youth that and he intends to invest all the ac- the hard men of St Helens. Few more accurately.” revolved around the game. His cumulated learning into his initial men in the world are more versed Gray ended up signing for the father Johnny was one of the most two-year role at Edinburgh Rugby. in the mechanics of big units 2016-17 season, travelling to Miami successful district coaches in the “That’s what experience gives to smashing into even bigger units, for 10 days each month and Scottish game, and coached the you and I know that I am the better but up close the sheer venom, South side containing Roy Laidlaw, for all these things that have hap- speed and size of the impacts in John Rutherford and Jim Renwick pened to me, which is why I will be American Football took his breath who won seven successive district a better coach at Edinburgh than I away. championships and beat the 1984 was at Leicester,” said Cockerill “In rugby, guys can go for 2½ or Wallaby grand slam side 9-6. from Toulon. three minutes so it’s a big stamina “I was brought up in a massive “I didn’t get the job at Leicester and aerobic sport, whereas in the rugby environment,” he said. “In through being a coach somewhere Bouncing back: Richard Cockerill NFL it’s all over in five seconds,” the Borders that was the era of else, it was just through circum- will join Edinburgh in the summer he said. “So there’s an emphasis on Derrick Grant, Jim Telfer, my stance [in 2009-11]. It’ll be different speed and power which means father, Richie Dixon, Ian at Edinburgh. At Leicester it was said Cockerill. “The whole dress- their athletes are absolutely McGeechan. I ended up speaking all the about the here and now, ing-room stuff is just not true. I incredible. I was blown away.” rugby all the time with my father, winning every game and winning know there is a pantomime villain Just how a “laddie frae Gala” or I’d sit on the stairs listening as trophies. That is what you had to feel to some of it but I wouldn’t have ended up in the inner sanctum of Vital equipment: One of coach Richie he discussed rugby with great men deliver. survived as long as I did if all I ever one of the NFL’s fastest-improving Gray’s training aids getting tough use like Jim and Derrick. “Edinburgh have never finished did was b------ people. franchises is a story that has its “In the old hard school of higher than eighth in the Pro12 so “I do have a competitive edge genesis in the desperation of carrying out analysis from his office Borders League rugby we played we will all have to get used to new and I do like to project that. But I American Football to combat the in Galashiels. He ran a pilot project against international players every IMAGES GETTY ways and new outlooks. I want to also like to think that I have an in- debilitating effect of player working on the tackle with a group week and afterwards, because win things but that simply isn’t telligent and articulate perspective ‘The emphasis on concussion, an imperative which of six linebackers and expanded his there was still that social side, you body height while rucking trans- re-enacts a player coming in and going to happen straight away. The on rugby, too. Whatever I may look has led to the banning of the head- work to include the defensive line, had phenomenal discussions on Heads up How Gray revolutionised Dolphins’ technique formed New Zealand rugby. over to jackal a ball. Robinson, then first question I will put to the staff like, I am not some old dinosaur. speed and power to-head tackles. That decision those behemoths whose job is to your position with your opposite “There were so many injuries Scotland coach, ordered four of there is to ask them what they think “Of course it hurt getting the heightened what had become a sack the quarterback, and the number. I soaked it up because I Richie Gray coming about at the breakdown Gray’s muscle-memory machines the identity of Edinburgh Rugby is sack. No one likes losing their job. It in the NFL means growing fascination with the defensive backs, who mark the love the game.” was hired by because guys were so inaccurate for Scotland’s 2011 World Cup and go from there. was a difficult period. I didn’t want their athletes tackling techniques used in wide receivers. His playing career, in which he the Miami and because it’s such a brutal part campaign, and most senior “Clearly whatever they have been it to happen but it did happen and rugby union, with the Seattle American Football is a played Scotland age-grades, Dolphins to of the game,” said Gray. “As a coach international teams and pro sides in doing hasn’t worked out as well as perhaps, looking back, it was just a are incredible. Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll, pleasant diversion for captained Gala, and lined up for help them with you soon learn the best way of both hemispheres have at least one. they would have liked. Perhaps natural end. the first to investigate it Gray, who has even Caledonia and the Borders, was their tackling winning games is to have your best Gray now has a range of 21 bits of everyone has been a bit comfor- “I have had plenty of those sort of I was blown away’ three years ago.