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cover art for Building the world's most successful rugby team with All Blacks legend Steve Hansen (E214)

The High Performance Podcast

Building the world's most successful rugby team with All Blacks legend Steve Hansen (E214)

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This week’s episode provides a rare glimpse into the mind of a coaching legend Steve Hansen, revealing the key to success in the world of rugby and beyond.


Steve is a New Zealand rugby union coach and a former player. He famously led the All Blacks to victory during the 2015 Rugby World Cup as their head coach, a role he held from 2012 to 2019. This is a reflective, honest and vulnerable conversation with one of the world’s best coaches. Steve offers insights into his time with the All-Blacks, sharing his experiences coaching the greatest rugby team in history, and the task of redefining the concept of progress while sitting at the top of the world rankings.


Jake, Damian and Steve delve into the strategic mindset he brings to coaching, sharing five thought-provoking questions he constantly asks himself and his team:


What’s our identity and our legacy?

How fast can we learn about what’s going on in the game?

What are the places we’re struggling?

How fast can we adapt when things aren’t going our way?

What is our biggest goal?


They discuss his competitive and pride-driver alter-ego, Stanley, and how he has learnt to control this side of himself, offering valuable insights into the complexities of leadership. By prioritising simplicity, trust, and self-awareness, Steve explores how we can create a blueprint for high performance in any endeavour.


This episode was recorded at the Rugby Premiership Final at Twickenham, there may be some crowd noise in the background.


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