Top 14 Preview: Staff Budgets, Player Pathways & Playoff Race — Damien Dussault

Bought a French Rugby Club for €1 — Then Walked Away | Flip van der Merwe

Flip van der Merwe — 30-cap Springbok, back-to-back Super Rugby champion with the Bulls, Cambridge MBA holder, data strategist, and the man who bought Biarritz Olympic for one euro — sits down with Coach G for one of the most honest conversations yet on the show. 📩 Join Coach G’s Scrum Dominator Community -https://www.skool.com/coach-g-1708 This isn't a greatest-hits career recap. It's a real discussion about identity, failure, late blooming, mental health, and what happens when the game ends. What you'll hear: * How Flip played just 7 games in 4 years at the Cheetahs — and why it made him * Getting called up to the Springboks from a camping holiday in Namibia, 18 hours from Cape Town * The lineout philosophy Victor Matfield installed that still holds up today * Buying Biarritz Olympic for €1 — and why he walked away 7 months later * The loneliness and identity crisis that hit after rugby ended * Studying for a master's in big data and an MBA at Cambridge while playing professionally * Why AI is transforming rugby coaching — and what teams are getting wrong about it 00:00 The Journey Begins: Rugby and Life Balance 09:51 Overcoming Challenges: The Path to Professional Rugby 20:00 Debut and Family Legacy: The Springbok Experience 29:50 The Art of Lineouts: Learning from Legends 30:21 Cultural Differences in Lineout Strategies 34:10 Balancing Rugby and Education 35:33 The Journey of Continuous Learning 42:20 Transitioning from Rugby to Data Strategy 46:01 Leveraging AI in Rugby Coaching 52:07 Enhancing Player Development with AI 56:20 Ensuring Data Security in Rugby 58:28 Reflecting on Fond Memories with the Bulls 01:02:12 The Journey of Buying Beer Rits 01:05:46 Cultural Shock in French Rugby 01:10:51 Personal Transformation and Health Challenges 01:16:40 Navigating Mental Health Post-Rugby 01:23:20 Insights from Coaching with Rassie Erasmus Honest. Sharp. Elite. 🎧 Follow The Coach G Show on Spotify and leave a review if this landed. Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/thecoachgshow Follow Coach G on⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/ggsteenkamp

Bob Skinstad | First Pro, The Dark Side of Winning & Life After Rugby

Bob Skinstad. 42 Springbok caps. The first professional rugby player signed in South Africa. Venture capitalist. Club owner. 📩 Join Coach G’s Scrum Dominator Community -https://www.skool.com/coach-g-1708 And one of the most honest people Coach G has ever shared a dressing room with. This is not a highlights reel. This is a real conversation about what happens when the final whistle blows — and no one's prepared you for what comes next. In this episode: * The mental crash that follows winning — and why players spiral without the right tools * The "big hollow": depression, self-doubt, and what Bob wishes someone had told him earlier * How he started building business skills during his playing career while most players stopped being curious * The brutal reality of owning a French rugby club as a South African outsider * Why being paid to play rugby can quietly destroy your hunger and work ethic * AI in rugby — what it can and can't replace, and why the human element still leads * Protecting your energy as an empath, and what years of giving to others costs you Bob doesn't pretend to have it all figured out. That's exactly what makes this episode so valuable. 00:00 Intro & Bob's Current World 03:24 Managing Multiple Projects & Staying Focused 05:22 The Challenge of French Rugby Culture 16:56 USN Sponsor Message 17:30 Bob's Journey From Player to Businessman 21:00 The First Professional Rugby Player in South Africa 25:51 The Mental Crash After the Highs of Professional Rugby 32:35 Coping Mechanisms Alcohol and the Evolution of Self-Awareness 34:30 Challenges Facing Modern Players 41:44 AI in Rugby and High Performance Sport 47:24 How Coaches Can Use AI to Save Time 49:40 Would Bob Come Back as a Prop Whether you're a player navigating the transition, a coach building something on the side, or a leader in any high-pressure environment — there is something in here for you. 🎧 Listen, follow, and share with someone who needs to hear this.

Drew Mitchell | The Void Elite Rugby Leaves and How You Fill It

Drew Mitchell played 71 tests for Australia, scored 14 World Cup tries across three tournaments, and won back-to-back European Champions Cups with Toulon. 📩 Join Coach G’s Scrum Dominator Community -https://www.skool.com/coach-g-1708 He did it all clinically blind in his right eye — a fact he hid from clubs, coaches, and medical teams for his entire career. In this episode of The Coach G Show, Drew sits down with Coach G for a wide-open conversation about the parts of an elite rugby career nobody talks about. What you'll hear: * The blind right eye he concealed from French club medicals to protect his contract * Why he retired on Twitter — mid-season, unannounced — and never looked back * The social anxiety, identity loss, and breakdown moment that hit after the jersey came off * Learning to fly helicopters to replace the adrenaline rugby gave him * How George Gregan's "Apples" callout turned him into a harder player * His zero-routine game day that always ended the same way — vomiting before kickoff * What really held the Toulon Galacticos together when egos could have torn it apart * Why therapy was the most important thing he did before the problems started 00:00 – Cold Open: "I'm done with rugby" 01:00 – Introduction: Drew Mitchell's career 01:37 – Life after Toulon / living in Bondi 03:15 – Relationship with training post-rugby 06:23 – "Chubb Club" and fat club stories 07:30 – Playing international rugby blind in one eye 13:04 – How he overcame the obstacle and kept it quiet 14:44 – Family, discipline, and what drove him as a kid 18:46 – Making the Wallabies and the gym reality check 21:13 – Why respect is the only currency that matters 22:36 – Rugby union over rugby league — the real reason 26:29 – Bond with Gits, Ashley Cooper, and the podcast 31:12 – The Twitter retirement nobody saw coming 36:13 – Flying helicopters to fill the void 41:38 – Selling pubs, finding structure, and commercial real estate 45:06 – Mental health, anxiety, therapy, and breaking down in the car 51:34 – Starting at 60kg in the Reds Academy 54:36 – The "Apples" story with George Gregan 57:32 – Pre-game routine: chaos, calm, and vomiting every test 1:00:22 – Australian sledging culture on the field 1:07:59 – Inside the Toulon Galacticos era 1:13:44 – What actually built the culture at Toulon 1:14:49 – Johnny Wilkinson's habits up close 1:19:43 – The New York Marathon and Busta Rhymes 1:27:10 – Final question: reincarnated as which prop? This one covers the full picture — career, character, culture, and the messy reality of life on the other side of elite sport. Listen, follow, and share with anyone who loves rugby, high performance, or honest conversations.

Scott Spedding: From SA Outcast to France International

Scott Spedding walked away from South Africa at 22 with almost nothing — because his own attitude had closed nearly every door behind him. 📩 Join Coach G’s Scrum Dominator Community -https://www.skool.com/coach-g-1708 What followed was one of rugby's most unexpected journeys: from scrapping in French junior rugby to earning 23 caps for the French national team. In this episode, Scott and Coach G go deep on the decisions, obsessions, sacrifices, and setbacks that defined a remarkable career — and what the transition out of rugby really looks like when no one has the answer. What you'll take from this episode: * Why bad attitude at 19 nearly ended his career before it started * How obsession — even when it went too far — drove him onto the French team * The night Serge Blanco knocked on his door and changed everything * How Joe Rokocoko kept him focused play by play through the most important game of his life * The criticism he faced for wearing the French jersey as a South African * Why the rugby network is one of the most underused assets former players have * The financial advice every professional player needs to hear before it's too late 0:00 Intro 1:47 Meet Scott Spedding 2:10 Life in Southwest France 4:31 Why He Left South Africa at 22 7:18 The Mentors Who Changed Everything 9:59 What It Really Takes to Listen 13:16 Arrogance, Mistakes & Hard Lessons 14:57 The Toughest Years in French Rugby 16:54 When Playing for France Became the Obsession 20:26 What the Obsession Actually Looked Like 25:30 On Balance vs Going All In 26:40 Serge Blanco at the Door & the Plane Ticket Moment 31:15 Facing Criticism as a Foreigner in the French Team 37:46 Greatest Players He Shared a Changing Room With 42:44 What Transformed French Rugby 50:37 2023 World Cup Quarterfinal France vs South Africa 51:48 Life After Rugby Property Meat Business & Safari Lodge 59:05 The Real Value of a Rugby Network 1:03:48 What He Would Do Differently 1:09:45 Final Advice for Players & The Money Conversation A raw, honest, and genuinely inspiring conversation for players, coaches, and anyone chasing something that feels just out of reach. Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/thecoachgshow Follow Coach G on⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/ggsteenkamp 🎧 Listen, follow, and share with someone who needs to hear this.

Steven Kitshoff | Career Over, Bomb Squad Origin & Springbok Scrum Secrets

Steve Kitshoff. Springbok legend. Bomb Squad co-founder. A man who was 2mm from never walking again. 📩 Join Coach G’s Scrum Dominator Community -https://www.skool.com/coach-g-1708 In this episode of The Coach G Show, Coach G sits down with one of the greatest loosehead props to ever play the game for a conversation that covers the full spectrum — from school rugby fundamentals to building a licensing empire, and from scrum mechanics to the mental shift required when everything you've built your identity around is suddenly gone. What you'll learn in this episode: * The career-ending neck injury Steve never saw coming — and the moment everything became clear * The Bomb Squad origin story: how a boardroom conversation with Rassie became a beer, a clothing line, and a national licensing brand * The 3 pillars of scrum dominance every prop needs to develop — conditioning, power transfer, and unit understanding * What makes the Springbok scrum the most destructive in world rugby right now * Rassie's philosophy: "right players, not best players" — and why it changed everything * How Steve overcame imposter syndrome in the business world * Practical advice for young props, parents of junior players, and anyone navigating a major life transition 00:00 Cold Open & The Spicy Plum Nickname 01:32 Introducing Steve Kitshoff 05:35 School Rugby & The Foundation Years at Paul Roos 08:28 Mentors & Players Who Shaped His Career 14:17 The State of Scrummaging Today 19:22 3 Keys to Scrum Dominance for Props 24:00 What Parents of Young Players Need to Know 27:48 Quickfire Scrum Questions 29:06 Why the Springbok Scrum Is So Destructive 34:52 The Bomb Squad Origin Story 40:33 Business Lessons from Rugby Leadership 45:49 The Career-Ending Neck Injury 49:57 Life After Rugby & What Comes Next 53:11 Advice for Players Still Playing This is a conversation about identity, reinvention, and what it really takes to build something that lasts. 🎧 Listen, follow, and share with anyone who plays, coaches, or loves rugby. Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/thecoachgshow Follow Coach G on⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/ggsteenkamp