Matt Saunders: The former Stag is ready to get to work
“We are going to prepare and do everything we can and if we get beat it’s because we weren’t good enough and we need to get better.
Ditch the excuses.
It’s the message new Rugby Southland Director of Rugby Matt Saunders is sending before he’s even slid his feet under the desk and started in the role.
Saunders was this week revealed as the person to oversee Rugby Southland’s pathways, coaching development, and Stags programmes in a newly created position.
The former Stags and Highlanders midfielder says he is upbeat about Southland rugby’s prospects and his philosophy heading into the job is relatively simple.
“We are going to prepare and do everything we can and if we get beat it’s because we weren’t good enough and we need to get better.
“It’s not because we don’t have enough money, our player pool is not up to scratch, or our club rugby is not good enough.
“If we lose it’s because we didn’t do our job good enough as coaches, as players, as management. We’ve just got to try and get better the next week. That’s all it comes down to.
“You can blame everything you want it doesn’t really achieve anything.”
Saunders looked to be en route to becoming the Stags coach seven or so years ago when he was working at Rugby Southland as its academy manager and coaching at club and representative level.
When Hoani Macdonald took over as the Southland Stags coach in 2015 Saunders was offered an assistant coaching position.
He turned it down, and eventually stepped away from what looked to be a promising coaching career, instead heading in a different direction.
In January 2017 he entered the world of business taking over the Tapanui Four Square.
It’s a move he feels has set him up well for his return to rugby in the Director of Rugby capacity.
“Every retiring Super player could coach technically and tactically and that’s 20 percent of coaching. The man management side of it, the empathy, is the other part.
“That’s why you see a lot of older coaches doing well. Ted [Graham Henry], Wayne Smith, they hit their prime in their 50s because they learn that sort of stuff.
“Dealing with a business for the past six years, that’s accelerated that for me because that would have been my weakness.”
“Even though I might be a little bit rusty on the footy part of it, which doesn’t matter too much because it’s not entirely my domain, I will be better for it by many lengths.”
Saunders was already looking for another challenge oustide of the supermarket trade before the Director of Rugby job was created at Rugby Southland.
When he spotted it advertised, he felt that was the challenge in his life he needed. Although he was unsure if those at Rugby Southland would see him as the right fit.
It’s understood some more experienced New Zealand rugby personalities had also shown an interest in the positio;, former All Black looseforward Mike Brewer included.
“I applied for the job thinking I’d be suited to it, without thinking if I would get it. Then I heard they were keen to go local and thought that could only help my chances.”
Then came the interview, which happened to be Saunders’ first-ever job interview. It also happened to take place on one of the hottest days Invercargill has had for some time, earlier this month.
The panel overseeing the recruitment included Rugby Southland GM Steve Mitchell, long-time Southland rugby coach Peter Skelt, board chairman Murray Brown, and board director Ashley Light.
“It was in 40-degree heat and I had Skelty and Murray Brown there asking me some curly ones, so that was interesting,” he joked.
“I think I’ll be better next time, but I must have done alright.”
Saunders plans to get straight to work next week. In fact, conversations have already started.
Initially, he will do three days a week until he and his young family are able to sell the shop in Tapanui and make the permanent move to Invercargill.
He expects that might take a couple of months.
Saunders’ most pressing assignment is player contracting for the Stags. He says the team on the ground has done a good job and it is already relatively well-advanced.
“The first meeting will be around, what do we need? Who from club are we seriously looking at? It’s mainly who’s done the work.
“There’s a lot of guys capable but aren’t in physical condition to play these big guys. There is never an issue with the heart and the want from Southland players, it’s just we get beat up because we are not physically up to it.
“So that’s the big challenge for the club guys. We are going to provide what you need to be ready, and if you’re in the squad you get even more. But if you’re outside it, it doesn’t mean you can’t get ready by yourself.
“The bridge isn’t as far as people think, they don’t realise how close it is. But it’s the work you do alone that matters.”
So how exactly will Saunders’ role work?
He says a lot of that will be worked through as he gets his feet under the desk and it evolves while working with the rest of the team.
But in a broad sense, he is in charge of Rugby Southland’s high-performance component from under-16 right through to the Stags.
It includes overseeing coaching pathways.
He will lead the Stags player contracting and will provide support to the Stags coaches. But the day-to-day coaching will be carried out by James Wilson, David Hall, and Daryl Thompson.
Saunders says those coaches had already put in some good groundwork during the off-season.
“They have it under control so it’s just about getting the players and then supporting and challenging them.”
“It’s a great opportunity for those coaches to run it from the word go. They are in charge now and it will help them grow.”
He’s also excited by the appointment of Scott Eade as Rugby Southland’s academy manager for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, Saunders thinks Eade is doing, and will continue to do, a great job. Secondly, Saunders says it frees Hall, the previous academy manager, up to concentrate fully on his Stags coaching duties.
In recent years Hall has juggled both the Stags and academy commitments. At the same time last year, Stags head coach Dale MacLeod was also juggling both his assistant coaching duties at Moana Pasifika with his Rugby Southland role.
Saunders feels like there is a good team now in place that can concentrate on the task at hand. He believes it has a similar feel to the organisation when he played with the Stags, which included winning the Ranfurly Shield twice.
“They weren’t far away last year and it feels like we are not far away from some good times.”
“I said in the interview, ‘sorry if I refer back to the golden years’, but it was about good people doing their job and thinking outside the square a wee bit.”
“I’m here for the right reasons. I’m not there to move on and it’s not a financial thing. I want to achieve something. It’s an exciting challenge.”
The fans of Southland rugby are a particular driver in him wanting to achieve something on his return to Southland rugby headquarters.
“I had that written down in one of my slides in the interview that the support is there, and they are dying for some success.
“They have supported us massively through the highs and they are still getting better crowds than most in the country.
“When you hear the negative stuff it’s only because people care. If they weren’t giving their opinion then you’re in trouble because no one cares. The more people talking about you the better.
“It’s on us to make it better because that’s what we are here to do. There’s nothing to hide from, we’ve got what we’ve got and we either perform or we don’t.”
“If we don’t perform it’s because we weren’t good enough. I’m confident we will be good enough.”
While Saunders has been away from Southland rugby, in an official capacity, for six years he says he’s watched most Stags games during that time. He had a good handle on the various players, and an even better understanding now he’s gone through the interview process.
“There’s been some good work done. We are not far away,” Saunders says about the prospect of some encouraging results.
Buckle up Southland rugby fans, the ride is about to start again. Southland’s premier club rugby season will kick-off on March 18.
Well good luck Matt.its a southland problem and who better than a southlander to head the recovery.