Pat Howard

CURRENTLY Playing 4th at Qld Uni. Advising with Australian teams at all levels. Ex-High performance manager of the Australian Rugby Union & ex-Leicester Director of Rugby.
 
PLAYING RECORD

PLAYED RUGBY UNION from 1991-2004 (including Qld, Brumbies, Leicester, Clermont, Australia & the Barbarians)
International player for Australia from 1993-97 I was 23 when I played my last test.
 
 COACHING RECORD

• • 2004-5  Leicester Assistant Coach  (runners-up, made knock out stages in all 3 comps)                                       
• • 2005-7  Leicester Director of Rugby (2 titles, 2 runners-up, another 2 knock out stages)
• • 2000-1  Leicester Player/Assistant Coach (3 titles)

Hi my name is Pat or Paddy Howard, throughout my playing I took on coaching roles, advisory roles and senior roles from young ages to challenge and improve what was being done. To adapt to the skills that your team possesses and ultimately engage every player so that their skill can be maximised to give confidence to the team. Winning occurs as a result of these it is not the starting point.

Rugby has been my life. My grandfather on my mothers side captained the Wallabies in 1937. His career had started as a 19 year old outside back in the waratahs tour 1927-8. He got to nurse your Queen as a baby!!

His daughter Margariete has been a passionate coach all her life and coaches the level under Super 14/15 with an undying passion for skill improvement. She married a tight head prop and Jake my father a Wallaby himself went on to coach with Bob Dwyer’s successful World Cup winning Wallabies team in 1991. Therefore you could say I am genetically engineered coach.

My rugby career as many are in Australia started at a Boarding school. My parents are carnival people (or in Australian terms side-show alley people) and as such I needed some consistent schooling. This where my passion for the game started. My school 1st XV backline included Wallabies Daniel Herbert & Graeme Bond, and our captain was Richard Graham the ex-coach of Sarries & Bath. You must remember Australian rugby is not a big place.

In 2004, aged thirty I was given the opportunity to go back to my old club Leicester under John Wells. Wellsy and I had a great year unfortunately losing on the big days, Guiness finals, European Semis etc but it was a time of managing out players such as Johnno, backy, Rowntree and trying to get smooth succession plans in place. These blokes were not easy to replace. This transition and the losing of the GF the year before dominated much of my thinking and something that I would be happy to share in the future.

On a personal level, I have 4 children Hannah & Sophie are 6 & 4 respectively with Tom & Xavier 3 & 2. You will be happy to know that Tom is eligible for England! We made a very hard decision in 2007 to return to Australia to be with family and ultimately that decision also dictated leaving coaching for a period. I am still active in the game both locally and globally and enjoying the challenging nature of pushing boundaries, pushing the laws and questioning everything.

My coaching influences are vast and with out question I have taken something from every coach that I have been coached by. Nobody was perfect and nobody has all the answers including myself. This though is the beauty of the game, it is not perfection – it is much about your right moves as much as the reaction to your opponents making the wrong moves. Chess at pace.

Not surprisingly the greatest piece of advice of ever got in rugby came from my father. What did a tight head prop, immensely strong, fit and hands like feet tell his son who was not built at all like him – be the best at something. I took the advice and knowing that athletically I was not quick, strong, or tall I looked for a different edge. I focused on making myself smart on the paddock and that when that requirement was needed I would be the player the selectors would have to consider. I am not saying I was the smartest but the games of chess that I got to play against Dick Muir, Will Greenwood, and Andrew Merthens for example were the games I most remember.

With ruckingball I am looking to challenge your thinking as a coach and a player. There is more than one way to win and every team will have different skills. By putting those pieces together effiently and with some thought you will get an outcome that will inspire the players you have and more importantly yourself.

Rugby is a game that has inspired my family for three generations. I am passionate about the lessons it teaches and enjoyment that everybody can get from the game. I look forward to our interactions – let the chess begin!

Paddy Howard