Hook: ‘Coaching is all about relationships’

With his illustrious playing career now behind him after 16 years at the top which included two Grand Slams in his 81 Welsh caps, Hook is turning his attention to coaching the next generation of stars at the Ospreys – and he can’t wait to get going.

Renowned for his silky skills and coolness under pressure, Hook would have been deemed a natural choice to take up coaching, but that’s an assumption he doesn’t necessarily agree entirely 100 per cent with. (More of that later)

Since last September Hook has been among a hand-picked group of players selected to take part in the inaugural 12-month-long Player to Coach programme developed by the Welsh Rugby Union overseen by WRU Performance Coach Manager, Dan Clements.

The building blocks have been put in place for Hook and co. to construct firm foundations in their fledgling coaching careers but for Hook transitioning into coaching from playing hasn’t been an overnight decision.

“I’ve always enjoyed the thought of it [coaching] – probably since the middle of my 20s really, I’ve had Neil Jenkins individually take me as a kicking coach so that was the thought initially. I wanted to go down that route and then naturally as you come to the end of your career when you know you have got a few years left you start planning for life after rugby – so probably the last two or three years I’ve taken a big interest in it.”

Hook was earmarked to get his first taste of coaching at international level earlier this year when taking charge of Wales U19s backs for the clash against England but the pandemic put paid to that.

“Of course it was disappointing and obviously doing this Players to Coaching programme with Dan and the boys I was in a good place really – it was a natural step really to test myself in the coaching world – I’ve been doing the Ospreys U18s for the last couple of years which I’ve enjoyed but that would have been a step up and a challenge for me. We had all the preparations in place but the virus put a stop to that.”

It was actually while playing for the Cherry and Whites that Hook seriously began his coaching journey.

“When I was in Gloucester I coached a local team called Longlevens with New Zealand prop John Afoa. We took the team for a while when I was in Gloucester which we loved, obviously lower league rugby but some great characters in the club and some pretty good players as well – that was pretty much the start of me coaching a team if you like.

“When I was in Gloucester I did my Level 2 coaching course and when I returned to the Ospreys I was going to jump on the Level 3 but I heard whispers there was going to be a professional players course which I am on now with the boys.”

Places on the ground-breaking Player to Coach programme were like gold dust, and Hook admits he was ‘chuffed to get on it as a lot of players would like to get on the course.’

Hook joined Ospreys colleagues Justin Tipuric, Bradley Davies, Paul James and Rob McCusker, Scarlets duo Leigh Halfpenny and Angus O’Brien along with Dragons’ Aaron Jarvis and Brok Harries and Cardiff Blues’ Dan Fish on the programme. On completion of the course, Hook, like his fellow graduates, will  secure a UKCC Level 3 award in coaching rugby union.

“At this stage of my career when finishing playing I was really keen to get on it, to be fair I have really enjoyed it,” says Hook. “Dan’s been great running it and obviously the mentors like Dave Adams and Babs (Gareth Williams) have been great as well.

“Obviously with the virus the face to face sessions have stopped but we’ve still been carrying on online doing webinars, different tasks and things which have been great.”

As a naturally-gifted runner and ball player, transitioning from a player to a coach would have seemingly been a logical decision for someone of Hook’s skillset, but he is honest enough to question that theory.

“I don’t know whether it comes natural to me but coaching is all about relationships – the danger with coaching I think – which I’ve learnt on this course as well – you don’t want to just change as a person just because you are the coach. I think it’s important as a coach in gaining relationships with players so I want to keep that going.

“This course gives you the ability to transfer the knowledge you’ve got to other players because for so long in our careers we have been used to being told what to do, so now it’s our turn to explain to players and help them along so that was probably the main reason I wanted to get on the course – hopefully it’s helped me do that.”

Hook is quick to praise the course-work undertaken on the Players to Coach programme which was initially set up in conjunction with the regions and the Welsh Rugby Players Association, overseen by WRU Performance Coach Manager Dan Clements.

“It has 100 per cent been beneficial to me,” he says, “It gives you the confidence to go out there and coach players and transfer your knowledge to the players and try and get across your points of view.

“It’s confirmed some things I was questioning but I’ve learnt a lot of things – in fairness to Dan [Clements] he has put on webinars during the virus with world class coaches like Wayne Smith for example. And listening to what he has to say and sometimes you look at these coaches and obviously they are unbelievable coaches, but it’s the simple things that sometimes you forget and Wayne Smith said something – sometimes you can move forward quite quickly and forget what made you good – the game can move on but you can’t forget the fundamentals. You have got to remember that as well.

“There’s been sports scientists, and Dan’s asked us to look at successful basketball coaches and things that have made them successful, a lot of things relate back to the same things, like relationships with players and how your coaching philosophy comes across to them.

“Just from personal experience I have really enjoyed it. Even when we haven’t been meeting up face to face, we listen to the webinars as a group, doing the different tasks, it’s been a really enjoyable so hopefully I can take some of that experience into actual coaching.

“There are some great blokes on the course, Paul James, Justin Tipuric, Bradley Davies, Leigh Halfpenny, players I’ve played with throughout my career so it makes it easier when you are working with people you know.

“You can understand that from a coaching point of view, successful coaches like to bring in their own coaches and support staff because it’s all about relationships. If those relationships are good then hopefully that will transfer through to the group.

“The next challenge for us is now going out there and coaching – you can pick all these things up from webinars and classroom chats but until you actually go out there and put it into practice, that’s when you really get tested. Like I say, I’ve had some experience with the Ospreys U18s and various kicking sessions so it’s about progressing and moving that forward.”

So since undertaking the course, has his view on what makes a good coach, changed at all?

“I think of all the good coaches, the good coaches who coached me I had good relationships with, not all coaches are the same. Some coaches use the approach of not really speaking to you too much.

“I think you have to find out what makes each player individually tick and that’s probably the challenge as a coach and something I found out through this course, one size doesn’t fit all. You have to get to know your players so I’ll certainly be taking that information on board.”

Hook is also pleased to see a changing landscape within Wales with the regions, and WRU and Wales Rugby Players Association all working closely for the betterment of Welsh rugby.

“Since I’ve come back the WRPA have been absolutely fantastic. Tim Jones has been fantastic with the players helping us along. And it’s not just about rugby courses, a lot of players don’t want to go into coaching when they finish – it’s been amazing to get that relationship going with the Union, the regions and WRPA and that’s the way it should be as well.”

“The course has been brilliant and it’s definitely helped me and I’ll definitely refer back to a lot of things I have learned on this course however far I do go in coaching.

“You do pick up different things and how to deal with different players. It’s tough, what’s right and what’s wrong as every individual player is different.

“I think you have got to be honest with players and that’s one thing I have learned on this course, you can’t beat around the bush with players – sometimes there has to be some tough conversations to be made, it can’t always be plain sailing so speaking as a player going into coaching they want honesty whether they are going to like it or not so that’s one important thing taken out of this course.”

It is clear Hook is a people person and wants the best for his players, in such an influential position it will be intriguing to follow his progress as he embarks on his coaching journey as skills and kicking coach at the Ospreys.