All Blacks legend Brad Thorn on the family bond that led to Test coaching debut

During his lengthy and highly-decorated dual-code career, former All Blacks lock Brad Thorn was the epitome of resilience – a quality that the people of Malta hold in abundance.

His wife’s mother was born on the sun-kissed Mediterranean island, so he is fully aware of the struggles the island has faced in deying the odds and thwarting invaders throughout history.

Regularly besieged due to its strategic importance, Malta bears the scars of being one of the most relentlessly bombed countries in World War Two. But the Maltese people never backed down in the face of the relentless German and Italian aerial raids.

And it’s through family connections that the 2011 Rugby World Cup winner, who enjoyed a distinguished 10-year career in the 13-man code in the NRL, came to coach the Maltese national side in November, as they began their Rugby Europe Conference campaign with a 27-8 win over Cyprus in Limassol. His nephew Adam Kelly, a semi-professional in the Netherlands’ Ereklasse league, even lined up at outside centre.

The 50-year-old has since returned to Australia, where he is assistant head coach of Brisbane Boys’ College 1st XV, with former Samoa international Dan Leo, the head coach. However, he hasn’t ruled out being involved with Malta again in the future.

“My sons are very tight with Adam, they’re a similar age, and we were just having a chat, talking about how good it was that he was representing Malta, and I ended up talking to the people running the show and they asked if I would be interested in coming out (to coach the national team),” the father-of-four said.

“I’ve done some speaking, to a few businesses, a few sponsors, and some coaching clinics at clubs, and it’s been really enjoyable.

“It’s a really good mixture. I love my rugby; I love coaching; I used to love playing, and I then there’s that Maltese connection.

“When I go to Malta, I always feel at home there, I always feel good there, and I try to contribute whenever I visit. I care about the place.

“Growing up, I had hardly heard of Malta. It is a beautiful place, with great people – just be careful when you are driving – and the history there is incredible,” he added.

“During World War Two, they got bombed more than London – consecutively for 300-something days they got hammered because they were a key strategic place. I think they were two to three weeks out from starvation.

“They are proud people, passionate, and it is cool being involved. I could easily see myself continuing to be involved if it is permitted, time-wise.”

While Malta are one of the minnows of European rugby, ranked 51 in the world, Thorn believes they have all the physical and psychological attributes, to improve their standing. “I feel like the Maltese physique and mentality is suited to rugby – they are stocky and strong, I must be one of the tallest on the island, and they are resilient.”

Thorn looked after the forwards and strength and conditioning as part of a new-look Malta coaching team, headed up by South African, Dr Phil Pretorious. Former Scotland age-grade international scrum-half Greg Goodfellow (defence) and ex-Spain 7s star Jaike Carter (backs) are also part of the team.

Goodfellow is delighted to be surrounded by such a wealth of knowledge as he looks to take his coaching career onto the next level after a spell at Chinnor, as both a player and coach.

Now retired from playing, Goodfellow combines his time coaching Kavallieri Rugby Club and the national team.

“As a player I was ambitious and I wanted to do as well as I could and there is no difference with me being a coach. I am honoured to have such good people around me that I can learn from,” he said.

“I felt as though I had got to the point where I couldn’t go any further at Chinnor, obviously Nick Easter is there, and he and Craig Hampson are very, very good. But the time felt right to try something new, and I am really enjoying working with guys who have worked on the world stage.”

Pretorius speaks with a quiet authority when he talks about his vision for Malta.

He has led four international teams – the South African Barbarians, Tonga, the Cayman Islands, and more recently the Czech Republic. In his tenure with the Czech Republic between 2017 and 2019, Pretorius led the restructuring of Czech rugby – a process which ultimately culminated in the country gaining promotion to the Rugby Europe Trophy competition, and entering the top 30 in World Rugby’s rankings for the first time ever.

Now he is similarly ambitious with Malta. “I think the Trophy is definitely our aim,” he said.

“At this stage, we don’t have the playing numbers of Czechia and secondly, our foreign player base isn’t as strong as the Czechia, because they had some players from France coming in.

“We have got some players from England and Australia that are dual citizens, but we would love to increase the playing numbers on the island.

“We have got five club teams that are relatively strong, and one of the clubs has a fantastic junior system with over 100 players.

“We need to strengthen the club system and create a vine and it is very important to create a school system and get more players into the game.”

Pretorius once worked at the Bulls but was also in charge of Eagles and Falcons teams in South Africa that punched well above their weight.

“What we want to do here is squeeze every bit of potential and energy out of every player,” he said about Malta. “The flagship team is the national team and it needs to perform to help attract more players and sponsors.”