Hometown Coach Growing Career in the Game
As a member of the last Kaiapoi side to lift the Luisetti Seeds North Canterbury Division 1 title in 2010, things went full circle for Simon Gunn, who was part of the coaching team that took Kaiapoi to last year’s championship. Now in charge of the St Bede’s First XV, Gunn is putting his coaching skills to another test, returning to coaching a younger age group in 2022.
Originally hanging up the boots eight years ago, Gunn joined the Kaiapoi coaching group for 2016 and 2017, before being convinced to put the boots back on for the 250th time in 2018 as a player-coach for the side.
“I had finished up with rugby in 2013 but came back to the club to help out with coaching a couple of years later.” Gunn said.
“From there, due to injuries and the lack of front rowers at the time, my co-coach Matt Newton convinced me to lace back up, and I managed to play my 250th game for Kaiapoi in the Semi Final, which was a pretty special moment for me.”
Now fully retired from playing, Gunn has been able to throw himself into coaching, an area of the game that he has fully immersed himself in during recent years. “Once you are 40 and you are still trying to play because that’s the way you think you can contribute but your body won’t allow you to, then you work out that you being a part of your rugby team and your club is the bit that you miss the most.” said Gunn.
“From there, I worked out there’s two parts. The first part is you want to stay connected to your club those people that you have played with, and the other part is, for me, I have young kids coming through, so you realize that you can stand there and think you can do a better job, or you get involved and try and learn how to contribute & give it a go!”
“Coaching has been extremely rewarding for me as you realise that there is so much for you to learn, not just from coaching but from the players too, especially with the great support networks in North Canterbury and throughout the region, which has helped me develop so much as a coach and consistently build off the feedback that I have been given.”
With success on the paddock, you’d forgive Gunn for singling that out as the highlight of his time in coaching, but instead, he identifies a reward to both the on and off field action.
“If you want to be a coach, there’s a reward in it. It’s a good feeling when you get thanked for your efforts, the kids walk off the grass, they had a good time, they learned something and improved and have a connection and belonging to the sport throughout their rugby journey”
“With Kaiapoi as the example, it was an evolution from when Matt (Newton) and me played, building up our playing group and the culture that they bring off the field. The biggest lesson for us was asking questions of the players so that they were driving it themselves, so that at the end of the training or game, you’ve learnt as much from each other as you can. We came from a mindset of being players who coached to coaches who wanted to learn & help the players grow & it’s always a work in progress”
Looking ahead to 2022, the challenge of going from coaching senior men to teenage boys is one that excites Gunn, who has three boys at St Bede’s.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of the St Bede’s set up again this year. Being a part of 1st XV rugby is pretty cool and I enjoy coaching the boys, they all want to get better and learn. They are like soaks, they’re consistently asking questions, something that I know will challenge me too this year.”
Never one to shy away from an opportunity, Gunn remains involved with the Kaiapoi team, ensuring that this season will be a busy one for him, but one that he knows coaching will provide him a continuously rewarding experience, with hopefully some results on and off the field too.