'In spite of everything the past turbulent year, Saracens is a club that does a lot of stuff right'
Leaving aside the obvious, the flagrant shattering of the salary cap and all of the rancour and controversy that followed, Kelly Brown sees plenty he can pinch from Saracens and use to propel Glasgow Warriors upwards. A culture exists at the English and European champions that everybody who plays there seems to hail.
It’s not just the prolific winning – players talk of an intangible brotherhood, portraying a rugby utopia where people are energised and cared for and pursue their goals with rampant vigour. Of course, it’s much easier to cultivate such an environment when lavish sums are being meted out and trophies arrive year on year, but there is patently more to it than plain money.
A decade after leaving Glasgow for Saracens as a barnstorming flanker, Brown has returned to the Warriors as a coach. The former Scotland captain has a specific remit to oversee the contact area and defensive lineouts on Danny Wilson’s new staff.
“In spite of everything that happened at Saracens over the past year, it’s been turbulent which is maybe quite an understatement, but it’s a club that in my opinion does a lot of stuff right and I want to bring a lot of the good bits up to Glasgow, absolutely,” Brown said.
“The thing that amazed me the most when I went to Saracens was that we never spoke about winning. We spoke about going and making memories and I thought that was a brilliant way to do it. I know that ultimately professional sport’s about winning but I just thought as a way to take all the pressure off the players it was an amazing way to do it and focus on.
Always a silver lining https://t.co/Afb5E8f0F0
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 15, 2020
“That changed over the years as the club has had success and they do speak about it a little bit more, but I thought it was a great way to do it. Let’s just focus on making unbelievable memories and if you do that you win games.”
After retiring in 2017, Brown began his coaching voyage with the Saracens academy, frequently stepping up to assist guiding the first team in the Anglo-Welsh and Premiership Rugby Cups. On his watch, some wonderful talent emerged and flourished, among the graduates Manu Vunipola, Rotimi Segun and Joel Kpoku.
Gregor Townsend had called upon the 38-year-old to work with Scotland on several occasions. He soaked up the wisdom of Mark McCall and learned from visiting coaches such as Daryl Gibson, the former Glasgow and All Blacks centre who was then in charge of the Waratahs.
But while Brown may have come from a hugely successful juggernaut, he knows trying to turn Glasgow into Saracens will only rankle. “Every culture is slightly different and there is no way I’m going to come up and say, ‘I’ve been at Saracens, I know all this stuff’. There are little bits and pieces I can definitely bring up,” Brown said.
“In Glasgow, when I played there and speaking to those who have been here in the last ten years, it’s a club with a great culture and a really good environment. I’m not coming in to try and change everything, but there are little bits that I do feel we can add and improve because we are striving to get better.
“When (the Saracens culture) was started back in 2009, the year before I went, it was Brendan Venter and Edward Griffiths, the director of rugby and the chief executive. It has evolved over the years, but ultimately it’s all about caring for people.
“A lot of people had this ethos – and they still do – to keep people keen, treat them mean. At Sarries it was the exact opposite. That’s certainly how I like to operate and it’s something I’ll definitely keep in the forefront of my mind at Glasgow.”
The flit north was sudden. Having coached alongside Wilson in the national camp, lockdown brainstorms and technical check-ins quickly became a job offer. It sparked what Brown calls a “mad sprint” to find a house for the family amid the Covid-19 pandemic, ending with a place in Edinburgh an Owen Farrell punt from Jim Hamilton’s home.
🗣️ "As soon as I got the phone call from Danny I was very excited."
We caught up with @kellydrbrown to talk about his new role with Glasgow, what he plans to bring to the role and what to expect from the third leg of The 1872 Cup.#WhateverItTakes
⚔️🛡️ pic.twitter.com/OSvCu72r4h— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) August 16, 2020
The two old Saracens and Scotland warhorses have been flogging each other in a variety of home workouts lately – “trying to turn back the clock”, as Brown says, although predictably it has “become apparent that we can’t”.
“I’ve got a lot of love for that club and I was definitely sad to leave,” he added. “I’ve got a lot of good friends and it’s been an amazing place to be for ten years. I was also a bit sad to be leaving because of the opportunity they have now to build again, that is an amazing opportunity. I’ve nothing but fond memories of my time there and it’s one of two clubs I love.”
In the past three years, Glasgow have twice made the Champions Cup quarter-finals and twice been drawn away to Saracens. On each afternoon, a thorough battering ensued. The perception of the Warriors is that while they weave some gorgeous attacking rugby, they can be outmuscled and overwhelmed by more physically imposing opposition.
“It’s definitely an area, not just as Glasgow but with Scottish sides over the years that Scottish sides have always been a little bit smaller,” Brown said. “Some of the guys I worked with in the academy at Sarries, the young athletes and the number of them was just significantly bigger in England. It’s definitely something we need to get right.
3 years, doesn’t time fly! https://t.co/6uGs5C6Ma1
— Kelly Brown (@kellydrbrown) April 29, 2020
“What has been great is that Glasgow have got to the knockout stages in these big competitions and have learned lessons from that. Now we need to understand how, when we get to these games, we start to win them. We did in 2015 but in Europe, we need to keep giving ourselves opportunities in knockout games and soon we’ll start to take them.”
Glasgow are back in pre-season now, although they do not know when they will next play. The Guinness PRO14 has yet to announce its fixtures for the new season with its two South African entrants unable to start the campaign due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
In Scotland, there have been several high-profile breaches of lockdown rules by top-flight footballers. Multiple games were postponed as a result. Those national rules have been tightened again this week, and the Warriors players have been reminded not to take any chances.
“What is great is that we’re in, and we’re doing the pre-season, and we’re anticipating to start next season at some point in the next month or so,” Brown said. “We get tested at the start of every week and then after that pretty much everything has got to be socially distanced. Obviously, on the training pitch, we get a little bit closer, but all the coaches wear masks during all the sessions.
“We’re conscious that we need to be whiter than white, and that’s something we’ve been speaking to all the players about. There was a change in the lockdown rules on Monday, and so we’ve spoken to all of the players – just highlighting how important it is that we make good choices and don’t do anything that could jeopardise us going back to games.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
3 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
3 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
3 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments