Damian McGrath worked his way through the coaching ranks with rugby league’s Leeds Rhinos, before switching to rugby union.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Damian McGrath learned more than a few life lessons in coaching the Canadian, Samoan, German and Kenyan rugby sevens teams.
The veteran English coach shares some of those learnings in his book, Can You Be Fluent in Success? which is subtitled “A fresh perspective on business coaching through the lens of an international rugby leader.”
McGrath, a former physical education teacher, played rugby league for both Great Britain Universities against France and British Colleges versus both France and New Zealand. But believing that was the extent of his playing career, he turned his focus to coaching.
He worked his way through the coaching ranks with rugby league’s Leeds Rhinos, before switching to rugby union. It’s a coaching journey that has taken him around the globe, offering plenty of food for thought.
He started on the book while stranded in Kenya, eventually publishing it himself.
“We weren’t being paid and we couldn’t go train because of all the financial issues,” he explained in an interview. “And someone asked me if I'd do a talk to the leadership group of a local business back in England.
“So I was trying to make some notes and it just got me started. I had plenty of time on my hands so I started to write down the lessons I've learned the experiences I had and tried to put them into a story.”
Rather writing a traditional autobiography, McGrath dips into his past to illustrate lessons learned. And he cites those of others, quoting the likes of film director James Cameron, singer Harry Chapin, Voltaire, Einstein, Rosalynn Carter and jockey A.P. McCoy.
A history buff and avid reader, McGrath also is skillful in finding ways to illustrate his point.
Take the Japanese tradition of Kintsugi, which is believed to have originated in the 15th century when Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favourite tea bowl. Unhappy at an unsightly repair job, local Japanese craftsmen filled the cracks with gold leaf and lacquer.
“As a coach, Kintsugi reminded me then, and still does now, that failure isn’t the end, you can repair it, you can build something new that is stronger, but the scars are there to remind of the challenges that you have overcome,” McGrath writes.
He found out about Kintsugi from a discarded magazine on a train to Manchester in 1979.
Other lessons came in person.
While coach of Samoa and trying to land two trainee police officers for his Commonwealth Games team, McGrath had to buy two cows from their commanding officer to secure their release.
As coach of Kenya, while taking part in a disciplinary session with a senior player whose attendance had been spotty, McGrath was told the player’s problems were due to the influence of a local witch doctor.
“I almost laughed out loud thinking how preposterous that was, but I was the only one smiling,” he writes.
“It was a quick reminder of making sure you understand people’s lives before you judge them,” he adds.
McGrath only touches on his time as Canada coach, in part due to a non-disclosure agreement he had to sign as part of his enforced departure.
While he led the Canadian men to their only tournament win on the world sevens circuit – in Singapore in April 2017 – he was fired in May 2019 in the midst of a spotty campaign not helped by a pre-season labour dispute involving the players and Rugby Canada.
“It was a tough time, as my wife and I had established a good life there, we were settled and the team had been successful,” he writes.
He was sacked the same day his wife, Deborah, who had served as Rugby Canada’s women’s 15s team manager, was appointed commercial manager of B.C. Rugby.
“It was a really big hammer blow at the time,” he said.
It’s clear while he enjoyed his time in Canada and especially working with the Canadian players, he has no love for Rugby Canada.
“In the end, I was glad to get away and they gave me the terms I wanted,” he said.
After Rugby Canada gave him a pink slip, Canada’s players wrote him a glowing letter of recommendation which he puts in the book.
Quoting Maya Angelou, McGrath writes, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
After his time as Kenya coach, McGrath and his wife returned to their home in England. He has had offers to coach overseas again and admits “I think I’m getting the itch again.”
And more to learn.
“Every day is an education, no matter how old or how experienced you are,” he writes.