Curtis Bradford - The Austrian Advantage
With so many styles of play on offer, adaptability has become a necessary skill for the international and modern rugby coach. Today we speak with Curtis Bradford, one of the youngest national coaches in World Rugby, whose career has taken him to Malaysia, Wales, Finland, Rwanda, and Austria. After sharing his professional highlights, we chat with Curtis about his current role as the Head Coach of the Austrian Sevens team. Curtis provides insights into what rugby is like in a smaller nation, diving into their focus on player retention, the sports that rugby competes with, and what Austrian rugby is doing to ensure that each generation of players performs better than the last. We also touch on the state of Austrian women’s rugby before Curtis reflects on his experiences as a globe-trotting coach. Following this, we discuss the importance of adaptability to rugby coaching. Near the end of the episode, we explore Curtis’s work for the Friends of Rwanda charity. Tune in to hear more game-changing perspectives on coaching from Curtis Bradford.
Key Points From This Episode:
• Introducing Curtis Bradford, the world’s youngest national rugby coach.
• Hear about how Austria is faring under the pandemic.
• What led Curtis to find and then accept his Austrian coaching appointment.
• Curtis shares details about what the Australian club rugby scene is like.
• How Austrian rugby retains its players through high-quality programs.
• Exploring the opportunities presented by rugby’s international profile.
• Why Curtis’s priority as an Austrian coach isn’t to win titles.
• Why the successes of Austria’s coaching approach will first be seen in sevens rugby.
• Discussing the state of women’s rugby in Austria.
• How rugby fits into Austria’s sports landscape.
• Curtis talks about the top experiences from his globe-trotting career.
• The importance of adaptability when coaching such an international game.
• We touch on Curtis’s work for the Friends of Rwanda charity.
“In Austria, we’re focusing on player retention. The best way is to make sessions as high-quality as possible and to develop players as quickly as we can.” — Curtis Bradford [0:08:16]
“What we’re trying to do is to lay the platforms for the next group to come through. We aim to set up good pathways and leave the jersey in a better place than we found it.” — Curtis Bradford [0:13:12]
How I speak to players in Byron Bay is completely different to how I speak to Malaysian players. With such an international game, you have to be adaptable in your approach.” — Curtis Bradford [0:22:13]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
