The life of a head coach can be as brutal at times and it's fair to say that Rob Penney has been on the receiving end of his fair share of public criticism. However, what I am excited to share with you in this episode is just what a champion man hey is. From playing 100 games for Canterbury as a tough loose forward to becoming a Head Coach who has coached all around the world, the Rob Penney journey is a fascinating one!

Some parts that stood out were...

Firstly hearing his thoughts on the Crusaders 2024 season and expectations for 2025

What he remembers about the infamous name calling of the reporter

Growing up in Canterbury dreaming of playing for them and then achieving that dream.

Hearing how hard it was for a young guy coming into those environments back then

How he made his transition into coaching

Hearing all about coaching Canterbury, NZ u20s, Munster, the Waratahs, Shining Arcs.

His recall on the Simon Zebo phone call with the Lions

How his high optimism has got his through the tough times of head coaching

And heaps more.

As you'll hear Rob Penney has so much wisdom, he has had so many highs and lows in the game so was able to share plenty of gold advice from his experiences. If you enjoy this episode please give it a share and I will promise to keep bringing you more great guests like Rob Penney.

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This week on What a Lad we are joined by Hugh Pyle who in my opinion is the greatest Australian rugby player never to be capped by the Wallabies. Standing at over 2 meters tall, Hugh's combination of skillset and workrate has seen him have a remarkable career firstly in Australia with the Rebels before moving to France, where he became a centurion with Stade Français. He finished off in Japan with Toshiba before calling time on his Rugby career.

In his podcast debut, Hugh shares candid insights about his life post-rugby, including his transition to a career as a mortgage broker. He dives into his unique method of reflecting on his career through four key pillars: enjoyment, playing form, salary, and game time, revealing the lessons he learned along the way.

Hugh also talks about plenty of challenges he faced while playing which included battling with dodgy knees, adjusting to life in different parts of the world and even dealing with a serious brain injury.

As you'll hear, Hugh is a massive lad, someone who's reflective personality makes for thought provocative content, he also has a great sense of humor, and can tell a yarn. I'm sure you'll enjoy this one and if you do please give it a share so I can keep bringing you great guest like Hugh.

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Hamish Kerr is officially the greatest High Jumper in the world having recently won Gold at the Paris Olympics. However, what you're about to hear in this episode is an insight into the mind of the Olympic champion and you'll be amazed at how close he came to bowing out in the Qualifiers which in his mind would have meant retirement. The pressure that come on one single jump is insane and when you need to be relaxed and in flow when jumping how you handle that pressure is the difference.

Some other cool parts of this episode that should out for me was..

Growing up playing lot's of sports, playing on the wing in rugby

How at the age of 11 he was arguably faster than Rieko Ioane

His journey into High Jump and why he quit after school

An insight in to the training schedule of an individual athlete

How important your mindset in as a world class athlete

Why he wasn't keen to settle on the split gold medal

What made him take off to the middle of the Javelin field once he had won the gold

And heaps more!

As you'll hear Hamish is a very smart, open and honest man who gives so much gold (excuse the pun) in this episode. What he has done for High Jump and Athletics in this country has been massively and he is such a champion! If you enjoyed this episode please give it share and I will continue to bring you more great guests like Hamish.

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