James Wilson: An evolving coach who has enjoyment as a success marker
“I want them to be excited about it. That's success to me. Them turning up every week, being fizzed for playing whoever we're playing that weekend. And results will come from that.
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Stags co-coach James Wilson feels like he has a better handle on life as a coach with a few seasons under his belt.
The past 12 months alone have been significant in his quest to learn the coaching trade. He’s tapped into any possible development opportunity he’s been able to get.
Wilson’s rugby HQ has never been in question, given he amassed over 250 first-class games playing in New Zealand, France, England, and in Japan.
But transferring that rugby HQ into a coaching capacity can be easier said than done.
For personal reasons, Wilson returned to his home province of Southland in 2020.
He spent a bit of time helping then Stags attack coach Jason Kawau and also coached the Southland Town team alongside Josh Bekhuis.
When Kawau opted to finish with the Stags Southland head coach Dale McLeod whisked Wilson into the setup to lead the team’s attack in 2021.
Wilson was officially a professional coach.
“That first year was a lot of learning, but I got plenty out of it. Dale was very helpful, but the players also… I'd played with quite a number of them in 2018 [with the Stags]. So they definitely helped as well. And I've just grown from there,” Wilson told The Roar Podcast.
While Wilson’s first official coaching role was with the Stags, he had started to take on coaching responsibilities while still playing, including academy teams in Japan and France.
He was also completing coaching papers while in Northampton when he was playing in England.
During his time playing at Bath Todd Blackadder also encouraged Wilson to get into coaching, and he has since tapped into Blackadder for advice.
Another mentor for Wilson is former Highlanders coach Greg Cooper. Wilson played under Cooper when he was at Mitsubishi in Japan.
“I definitely use him now, and we've got a bit of a connection now because he's with Utah in the [Major League Rugby] and we've got four [Southland] players there in our squad that are also in the Utah squad.”
Over the past 12 months Wilson has searched for ways to grow as a coach. After the 2023 Stags season he headed back to England and got to spend time with both Northampton and Bath in a personal development capacity.
“Both of those teams actually played the Premiership Final this year. So I spent some time in camp there, which was fantastic. It was unbelievable. One, to get back to my old clubs, but two, to learn from the coaching teams that are there.
“I learned plenty from Phil Dowson at Northampton and Johann van Graan at Bath. [They are] very different, but both equally successful in their own right.”
Following that, Wilson and fellow Stags coach Matt Saunders then got to head to Japan where they spent some time at Toyota Verblitz which Rugby Southland now has a relationship with.
“We managed to get out there for a week and a half with Steve Hansen, Ben Herring, and his team. It was great learning from them… You'd say [Hansen] is the GOAT really in the coaching space and just listening to him and his thoughts.
“We've just taken bits and pieces and brought it back. What we can do, especially with our resources and our group, what's best for our group and what's best for us. We're trying to put that all in place and looking to obviously have a successful season.”
Wilson knows for most people, success with the Stags in 2024 will be measured by wins and losses. That is the business he operates in.
But when asked what success would look like for him personally, Wilson has come up with a different yard stick.
“I've thought about it. For me, it's more around our boys really enjoying their rugby. They're enjoying the way I want them to play the game.
“Just for me being attack coach, focusing on my space, it is literally them enjoying it, them excited about wanting to play the way I want them to play. That's success for me.
“I know everyone's like, ‘no, it's all about win-loss, it's all about performance’. But for my group, for me around my coaching, I want to be a personal, approachable coach. I want to have a game plan that suits my players' strengths. I want to suit the way that they want to play the game.
“I want them to be excited about it. That's success to me. Them turning up every week, being fizzed for playing whoever we're playing that weekend. And results will come from that.
“I have no doubt results will come from that because they're enjoying themselves out there.
“I remember when I was successful in my time as a player, it was because I loved it. I loved playing. I loved turning up to training. I loved being in the environment. It was almost like you didn't want to go home. You just wanted to stay around the lads all day.”
There’s plenty of fizz leading into Saturday’s season opener against Otago at Rugby Park in Invercargill.
Wilson admits he personally let the emotion of Stag Day take charge last year and was trying to change tact 12 months on.
“It's just another game for us as management. That's how we're approaching it this year.
“We probably got a bit heated last year when we look back at it, when we reflect around building this up. And I think we're just taking it as another game.
“We'll let the players build it up the way they want it,” Wilson said.
Although he did have a message to the Southland fans around what their vocal support meant on Stag Day.
“This gives you another person on the field, to be honest, as a player. And I feel that energy as a coach being in the box still. And I still feel like it definitely helps us a lot.
“Playing last year at Forsyth, it was unbelievable. It was like you've literally got the whole of Southland here with us.
“It gives you that extra person on the field. I hope that that happens again, and we use it to our advantage and we do the job.”
Saturday’s game will kick-off at 2.05pm.