Mike Friday

Mike Friday

Retired from playing professionally in Summer 2002.

Areas of Expertise

• Sevens
• Scum Half play
• Attack
• Core Skills Handling. Running Lines, Decision Making

Playing Career:

Bromley 1977-1990
Wasps 1990-1993
Blackheath  1993-1996
London Wasps 1996-2002

Representative Honours:

England A
England Sevens (1996-2002), Captain Commonwealth Games 1998 & Rugby World Cup Sevens 2001
Barbarians

Coaching Career:

Mike, or more commonly known as “Geezer”, was regarded as one of the best Sevens players in the game and deemed in the Premiership to be lightening quick with a reputation built as an attack minded maverick running scrum half from South East London.  He Captained his country at the inaugural Commonwealth Games in 1998 and the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens.  He was part of the team which won the Hong Kong Sevens in 2002.

Mike went on to Coach the England Sevens team to four consecutive Hong Kong titles and won the Commonwealth Games Silver Medal in 2006, as well as a number of international titles including back to back Dubai IRB International Sevens titles.  He was also responsible for, as part of his Sevens pathway philosophy, a conveyor belt of players that have gone on to become full England internationals.  Mike was also the Scrum Half coach for England between 2003-2006 and was responsible for developing a number of players who have gone on to play full international rugby.

Geezer returned to his profession at the start of 2007 but continues to ply his coaching trade around his “working business life” with National One Club Blackheath while also continuing to work with a number of up and coming Premiership scrum halfs that are sent to him for one on one tuition.  Mike continued to develop and broaden his coaching skills by working with England Women on their core skill development focussing on his areas of expertise around handling, running lines and decision making.  Working with women broaden his coaching skills.

Mike started his coaching career while still playing professionally at London Wasps where he coached Bromley 1^st XV, his home club where he had played his mini/junior rugby, to promotion and a Twickenham Cup final.  Mike furthered his development once he retired from playing professionally by coaching National 2 club Rosylyn Park in 2002 taking them to promotion after which he joined the England coaching set up.  He further developed his skills obtaining his Level 4 Coaching Award and graduating from the Ashridge Coaching course.

You are now more likely now to see Mike commentating on the IRB Sevens Circuit on Sky although he most certainly does have a face for radio!

Mike is passionate about the game and strives for perfection in the basics and wants players to be attack minded and open to “option plays” embedding in his players that you cannot “compromise the basics” and “to solve a problem you first have to understand the problem” and that players must look to “make a good decision or if not a bad decision but never make no decision”.

Mike’s philosophy about rugby is much like life and is summarised in his quote “Life is not about expecting, hoping and wishing it’s about doing, being and becoming”.

Mike is also very committed to bespoke player management and is a strong believer in EQ and flexibility of communication.  Mike believes the key to unlocking the potential in a player is understanding how a player learns and communicates and be aware on how to get your ideas across and motivate players to be confident, creative to excel and fulfil their potential.