Simon Kneebone from the coaches corner

Simon Kneebone

Assistant coach to the Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse side, and most recently named in the Super Aupiki Matatū coaching team

We’re ramping up to club rugby season, and it’s not just the players who are getting prepared. Coaches are an instrumental part of club rugby, bringing teams together with a joint focus and developing skill sets for results on and off the field.
Simon Kneebone, assistant coach to the Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse side, and most recently named in the Super Aupiki Matatū coaching team, has extensive experience with much of his career based in Canterbury.  

Likely a similar story to many coaches across the province, when Kneebone made the decision to hang up his boots for the last time he wasn’t prepared to walk away from the game which had given him so much joy over the years. A natural progression to step into a coaching role, Kneebone reflected, “It was probably around giving back for all the coaches that I'd had growing up, and then obviously an urge within me to develop and help others realise their dreams”.

Kneebone’s representative coaching career started with Canterbury’s age-grade teams, which eventually led to an opportunity with the Crusaders Academy. His experience expands vastly over the years from stints in Seattle and Sydney, to being part of last year’s NZ Māori Under 18 coaching group, that delivered a first ever win over the NZ schools team.

“I think we’re really spoiled in Canterbury,” Kneebone said about the depth of coaches in our union, “We have so many good people within the rugby circle, and I certainly know when I was coming through, I got the opportunity to coach with them but also learn from them. The knowledge bank is really deep here”.

Kneebone is passionate about the quality of coaches in Canterbury, including those on their way up, “don't ever be afraid to ask for development, or just ideas or advice because if I didn't get it when I was coming through, I probably still wouldn't be doing it”.

While Kneebone’s career has seen him go from club level to high performance, he still remains connected to grassroots assisting Linwood Rugby Club to their Championship win in last year’s Bascik Transport Metro competition, putting a lot of his successes down to his dedication to build relationships and trust with his players.

“If you're genuine around trying to make them better rather than needing success for yourself, then the actual coaching side's really easy,” said Kneebone, “because all that does is build trust and when people trust you then they're happy to learn and happy to be told how to do things”.

If you’re ready to step up in a coaching role get in touch with your club or school today, they would love to hear from you!

words by Hannah Yates