Legacy, the story of the All Blacks, is the one book McLeod names. The Red Lions borrow its language, presenting each new player’s shirt through an older player and talking about leaving the shirt in a better place, an idea now marked by the World Cup star above the Belgian badge. He also recommends Simon Sinek’s talks. Watch the full masterclass: AMA with Shane McLeod.
Every Ireland age group was doing its own thing: different selection thinking, different names for the same techniques, one team on 4-4-2, another 3-2-3-2, another 4-3-3, so players were confused as they moved up. Alignment came top down with a shared vocabulary, while leaving coaches some autonomy. It cost him good coaches who disagreed, and he warns that lip service is not buy-in. Watch the full masterclass: Changing & developing a culture.
Hooked for Life set out what each phase of a player’s development needs. The youngest play four a side with two goals, which pushed the play sideways and meant almost everyone scored in a round robin, while older juniors play 8v8 across half a pitch each, giving 32 players and four circles instead of 22 and two. Stepping Stones courses gave parent coaches three hours on their age group. Watch the full masterclass: Changing & developing a culture.