When you played for years, coached for years and loved watching the game for years and then you get the chance to write about it all, it can’t be better. Hopefully full-time one day, but for now it is just whenever I can.
I am Thys du Plooy and I have played the game for 27 years and started coaching in 2005. I was fortunate enough to play in a Craven Week team with former Springbok captain John Smit. At the time I was in Zwartkop High School in Centurion, South Africa.
My #1 claim to fame at the time was playing against an unknown Victor Matfield at the time and taking every lineout throw aimed at him… that never happened again.
I had fun playing club rugby at Centurion Rugby Club for years after school, but then found my love for coaching. Now I get to share my passion for it with whoever wants to read about it.
One day when I am all grown up, I hope to coach at the next level… All in good time
My partners in all of this
My sons Clement du Plooy and Alden du Plooy have joined me in this journey.
Both are brilliant people in their own right and quite different.
As of the time of writing (late 2019) my oldest, Clement, started studying and playing rugby at Central Washington University. Alden is still at high school and enjoying his crazy friends, school and plays rugby as a giant 6’6″, 15 years old.
What are we trying to do here?
When I started out coaching I struggled to find any resources on coaching online. They were few and far between and limited in a big way.
I want to share as much as I can and hopefully get a few decent conversations going on coaching. Maybe I can help in answering some of your questions and over time the goal is to build a community supporting each other with coaching insights and help.
Because if we all have to be honest, there just isn’t any sport in the world better than rugby. If we can help out each other to help grow the game, then the world wins!
(I know very serious and deep comment that last one…)
In all honesty, I want to help where I can, get some feedback from you and keep adding to the site with the goal of becoming the most complete free rugby coaching resource online.
So you are invited to share your thoughts by completing the contact form on anything related to:
- Things that I have gotten right in my advice
- Where I completely missed the mark
- What you would like to know more about
- What your biggest challenge is either as a coach, player or parent of a player
I am not promising that it will happen overnight, but I will try my best to find the answers and add an article or two on it to the site.