26 Jun Set yourself up for life through US College Rugby with UCLA Rugby Coach Harry Bennett
In The Huddle Podcast | SEASON 3 | EPISODE 6
In this episode, Study and Play Director Chris is joined by Australian born UCLA Rugby Coach Harry Bennett. They discuss the power of rugby as a connector and network tool for student-athletes.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Chris Bates
Hi folks, looking forward to today’s episode a lot. Increasingly in college sport, we are seeing international coaches landing coaching gigs across many sports in the US system, and today’s guest hails from Sydney in Australia. His name is Harry Bennett and he is the head coach of UCLA men’s rugby. Harry, thanks for joining us on In the Huddle, mate.
Coach Bennett
Great to be here, Chris. Sorry, it’s been so long between chats, but looking forward to this one.
Chris Bates
Yeah, and I plan to talk about, I think, anytime you get a couple Aussies chatting across overseas, obviously you have plenty to talk about, and especially since we have that shared US College experience. So, yeah, looking forward to it as well, mate, and I know you are busy, so we really appreciate your time. So, can we just rip right into it?
Sounds good,
Sorry, it’s been so long between charts, but looking forward to this one.
Alright, so I think, yeah, maybe just the people listening one minute into this chat already probably wondering, like, how does a guy from Sydney in Australia land the head coaching role at UCLA rugby? I’m sure there’s a few steps in between there. But, yeah, talk us through it.
Coach Bennett
Yeah, I mean I’ll try and do my best to give you the short version of it, but I’ve been in the States now for almost eight years. I first landed over here in 2015 with the intent of doing six months, play bit of footy, do a bit of travel and then go back to Australia and continue my pursuit of professional rugby back home. I learned pretty quickly how great this place can be and obviously the land of opportunity is something that gets thrown around a lot, but it certainly lives up to the name and within sort of three or four months of me being over here, I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to pursue whatever it was that I was sort of pushing towards over here on a long term basis and, luckily for me, over my time it pretty well aligned with professional rugby or the iteration of it. The first, I guess, crack at it was called Professional Rugby Organisation, which was one year, and it was a competition owned by monopoly, essentially by one guy. I think the best thing that I’ve said in the past about that was it was a great blueprint of how not to run a professional rugby competition in America and then, within literally 12 months of that sort of folding Major League Rugby expanded or came into the fold and I was lucky enough to be contracted with New York from their inaugural season and was with them for the first five, six years of their time, and I guess how that sort of connects back to UCLA rugby when I first landed in LA, obviously, any rugby fan going into a new city or country, the first thing you do is go down to the local rugby park and throw the ball around with other like minded individuals, and I did exactly that and met up with a handful of UCLA rugby players and alumni and parents and they were extremely welcoming to me and we kept in touch over my time, even when I was in New York so when the coaching role for UCLA came up just over 12 months ago, I was in between contract negotiations with New York and certainly in the twilight years of my playing career, and knew that I wanted to get into coaching there afterwards so threw my hat in the ring, knowing that these specific types of coaching roles, particularly the one at UCLA, don’t come around very often. So I was extremely fortunate to get the gig and myself, and now wife Hannah moved across country and set ourselves up here in LA and I’ve been in the role for 12 months and, although it’s been a pretty steep learning curve in a lot of ways and I’m sure we’re going to tap into a few of those topics today I’m absolutely loving the experience and know that this is something that I really want to dig my teeth into long term. So, yeah, I hope that was a short answer.
Chris Bates
Mate, that’s pretty good. I mean, it’s a lot to cram in because it wasn’t like a direct route jump on a flight from Sydney to go for an interview at UCLA and land the job. Not at all. As you said, you’ve pursued the land of opportunity that can be, I don’t think that can be overstated, it’s just it really is so going in on the front end, probably not thinking that you’re going to be a coach at a college with the prestige of UCLA when you arrive, but, as you saw, through meeting people and those connections, just through rugby, yes, but I guess being in America it’s a factor that leads to a lot of opportunity for a lot of people. So it’s interesting story, mate, and again, we’ll come back to the UCLA specific role that you have and talk UCLA a little bit later. But just on that, just on the topic, i suppose that international coaches, you’re sort of not alone, right. You know, even if we’re just talking rugby in this chat, there’s quite a few international coaches that are either head coaches or on staff at a lot of these growing rugby programs, right.
Coach Bennett
Yeah, absolutely at the professional level with Major League rugby, at the college level you’re seeing a lot more as well, and even at the grassroots level. Again, I’m certainly not the only one as an expat to have come to America and started a new life here and I think the passion of the local rugby fan in America it almost reinvigorates the expat essentially to come over here and want to dig their teeth into it a little bit further. So all tiers of rugby here you suddenly see a lot more international influence and, in my opinion, obviously bias being an expat and a foreigner, i think it’s great for the game and I think it gives a different perspective to not only rugby but sports culture globally that the American sports fan and the American athlete is probably not used to. So obviously, culturally it’s very different rugby compared to football or basketball or baseball, which you know the typical USA athlete grows up playing. So again, once they’ve sort of been exposed to a game like rugby, most stick around and love the experience. So more, more of it. I think if we can get more international coaches coaching domestic players, it’s only going to help the domestic talent pool and certainly the domestic coaching pool as well
Chris Bates
Yeah, no, that’s really good point, because my next few sort of questions I have around that with this international coaching fraternity, I suppose that sort of building in the US is just from two sides of the view. You’ve just mentioned that from an international coaches point of view it’s sort of a bit of a refreshener. You’re going into a market, I suppose, or into a developing rugby nation so you can bring what you know and there’s yeah, it’s just a fresh start, as you say and fresh ideas and eager and keen people right to listen to that. Is that what you think the main attraction is for international coaches?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, absolutely, so we’ve got a student playing for us from the University of Queensland and his director of rugby from from UQ came over for a weekend back in the fall so November last year and was on the sidelines and immediately he was just blown away by the enthusiasm shown by the players on the sideline, the players on the field, the parents, the supporters of just club rugby down at the park, and he certainly made comment of that as well and you sort of start to get used to it a little bit. But it’s good to have those little reminders and that’s certainly how I felt, coming into the environment over here in the US as well when I first got here.
Chris Bates
Yeah, different perspective is that they are two different rugby cultures, aren’t they? I guess, if we’re talking Australia and the US and growing up playing at being around it, there’s a system in place and something and players and systems and clubs to aspire to. So it is different over in the US, but it’s not new, right, in the sense that rugby’s been a massive sport in the US for a long, long time. I’ll touch on that in a minute. Whilst it’s growing and it’s gaining a fair bit of momentum at the moment, it’s not necessarily by fluke and it’s not necessarily that recent either, but I’ll definitely come back to that. But just on the flip side of, I guess that coach wanted to go and have this experience, what about the US side of things? So the people in charge of these university rugby programs that were appointing these international coaches, what do you think, what is their reasoning? I guess it probably goes without saying that obviously the experience, but why is the trend for more and more international coaches from the university point of view, do you think?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, I mean, I think just the experience is the primary one. An international coach that’s grown up with the game since they were four years old and surrounded by it their entire life, not only can coach the athlete but can build a program top to bottom the infrastructure of the rugby specific sides of things and do it in a way that probably the amateur American rugby fan or player of past isn’t used to. I will caveat, though, by saying that there is a lot more that goes into a head coaching role at the college level than just the rugby, and universities are certainly mindful of that. I would argue that the title essentially is Director of Rugby more than Head Coach, because you’re literally covering every facet of the program top to bottom, and it’s on your shoulders to basically do what you can to build all of those areas of the program, and without having understanding or context of university life and everything that goes into it and I’m certainly not one to say that I know everything and I’m certainly learning things as I go along but having an understanding of that landscape on a domestic level is certainly a key aspect of it as well, and to that point, I think that there’s been a handful of over qualified international coaches that probably didn’t get jobs just because they didn’t understand the domestic landscape of American universities and how to navigate that.
Chris Bates
Yeah, so you’re talking about recruiting and I guess we just touched on this before we press record on and recruiting is just a huge, huge part of your role. It can almost recruit first coach second in a sense, and so on the front end, trying to recruit feasible, suitable athletes who can meet athletes who can meet budget, who can meet the academic standards, not just the rugby. That’s a big part of the job and sort of filtering that interest and I would dare say, being at a place like UCLA Rugby, which has just got that natural it’s a brand right UCLA in itself so people are naturally attracted to the West Coast for obvious reasons as well. So there’s a lot of filtration process there and I suppose potentially, yeah, having to almost play admissions coordinator in a sense, or pre-admissions before you even really start talking rugby, because that’s what you’re talking about, about the other things, right?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, I think you’ve absolutely nailed on the head, mate. The pre-admissions part of it is key and that’s why working with yourself in overseas markets is so vital for me to be able to do what I do because, from a recruitment standpoint, we get all types of interests and as you touched on the marketing side of UCLA, as a brand sells itself. So if everyone could be here, they’d be here but obviously there’s a certain specific criteria that needs to be met from an academic standpoint, financial, and the rugby almost becomes the secondary conversation, knowing, first and foremost, that you’ve got to have the grades and some means of financial background to be able to get yourself into a conversation essentially. So I’m happy to sort of touch on the numbers, as we talked offline as well, but through all our different platforms of interaction whether it be social media, website, email that we’re getting engagement from prospects, we probably need to do a better job of being transparent, to vet that process a little bit more, and that’s why, again, working with you, mate, is crucial, because not just being a gatekeeper, but providing more context before that conversation or that outreach happens, so that the candidates at least 50% of the way there in terms of what’s expected before having an initial conversation, because you could be on a call for half an hour 45 minutes with a prospect that hasn’t even looked at the admissions website or anything like that and think it’s just a rugby club. So I can’t stress the value of what you guys do, but also trying to narrow down that key demographic that makes sense for everyone.
Chris Bates
Yeah, no good point and thanks, mate, look we know we’ve got a really important role to play because, at the end of the day, we don’t want to let coaches down. We also don’t want to let families down who are really excited and interested, so at some point they’re going to find out about the requirements to get into not only UCLA but any particular university. So I guess our job for those who are listening who haven’t met with us as a rugby family about this pathway that the purpose of that meeting is actually to help you get a really clear understanding of not we’re going to talk about every specific university in America, but in general, the fact that there’s three key pillars that go into really determining which colleges you can really actively look into, and that is rugby. Am I good enough? Is there a need for me in particularly positionally for that particular intake? And the answer is most of the time, yes. For Australian players, right, it’s not so much about the rugby level. Yes, you need to be a good player, but you do not need to be a superstar. I know we’ve talked about this before, Harry, but then there’s the grades. There’s a minimum grade you need to get into certain universities, and then there’s minimum grades you need to get into to Harvard and others, and then UCLA is different again. So, and then of course, okay, and if you tick all those boxes then you need to be aware of the potential costs. So that’s an important role for us because it’s about setting realistic expectations for us so that we can help the families be realistic. But then obviously the benefit of that if we do introduce a student athlete to you, knowing what you need and are looking for it allows us to help you. So it’s a bit of a win-win in that way. But yeah, you’re right, it’s not a simple one-size-fits-all. I’m just gonna blanket approach 50 universities in America. You have to have that, it’s just so, it’s America, right, it’s just there’s so many different extremes budget-wise, academic-level-wise, rugby-wise, so, which is great, because it means there’s something for just about everyone. But you need to be educated about that. So, and coaches for the most part I’m sure you would be too, Harry are happy to provide that education, absolutely. But if we can sort of take the edge off there a little bit and make sure these families aren’t coming in completely blind, then we love doing that. It’s sort of it’s why we do it really. Yeah, yeah, so okay, no, that’s good, mate. I think that’s really important, just to point out, for kids, listening and family. So I suppose I’d like to just change directions a little bit and just talk rugby in general and we’ll keep coming back and forth into the UCLA specific and feel free to weave UCLA into all your sort of comments here, mate. So I think rugby for those that don’t know it’s and maybe you’ve heard all this stat Harry, but with it’s the second fastest growing sport in high school in America and has been for a number of years. What do you put that down to? What do you think that reason is for that?
Coach Bennett
Access. It’s similar to soccer in the sense that as long as you’ve got a rugby ball and maybe some footy boots, you can go out and play a game of rugby. I think looking at lacrosse, hockey, football and the amount of equipment and the financial demands that go into those sports is one, a big financial impact. I think also the culture of rugby is starting to be more broadcasted widely across America as well, and you know this notion of inclusivity around skill set, experience and community is a really big one that rugby does a great job of, which is probably not going to mean much to to the local market in Australia because we grow up with it and we’re so used to it. But the notion of shaking your opponent’s hand after a game is non-existent in America outside of rugby, and just having that off-field community environment that rugby provides has been such a welcoming thing over here in America, and then I think now more so in the most recent years, I know we talked on it earlier around rugby not being new in America, but I think what is new is the high-performance aspect of rugby in America. So now there is a clear, direct path to professional rugby from high school and students can now start to target that as a pathway forward, with clear, objective measures each step of the way, with college obviously being an integral part of that. So I think all of those things just lends to, you know, a growing sport in a really, really positive way yeah, it’s interesting.
Chris Bates
A lot of people ask me you know what’s, what’s it like over there, and again, naturally, you’ve got we’re talking to 15, 14, 15, 16, 17 year old rugby players here that are interested in the path and they may well be, you know, at a very, very high level here in Australia. So maybe their concern is are we going into a system where I’m going to be the best by far? Are there gonna be people better than me for me to train with aspire to be and and push me? You know what’s your take on that, how does the average first 15, second 15 player in a in a good high school set up good club set up here in Australia, how do they fare, you know, into the US and what are the selling points for them to go over, do you think in terms of, okay, if their goal is to develop their rugby? How do you think the US pro, the US system does that at the moment?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, I think I think a holistic approach is probably the more viable sort of outlook when looking at it from an international player coming into college rugby and pursuing that path. Going to a reputable college just outside of the rugby is something that you know can set you up for life and not only just the degree that you get, the network that you’re exposed to post degree and and career to stay in America is something that you certainly don’t appreciate until you’re in it, and I’m certainly seeing that as well. From a rugby perspective, I think one thing I have noticed is that the boys don’t shy away from the gym over here so, like you’re getting big, strong, fast athletes and maybe they’re not as skilled as as the Australian or the, the international rugby player that’s grown up with the sport their entire life. But their work ethic and the physicality that they bring to the game of rugby is something that I think international students come over here and probably undervalue or under respect a little bit. From a skill set perspective, yes, you’re coming in and your rugby IQ and your fundamental skill sits at a cut above, but where I’ve seen success from those individuals is you almost take on a player coach role with your teammates, so you’re upskilling your IQ, even more because you’re having to upskill your teammates to get to a point where you’re getting better as well, and through that peer-to-peer coaching you’re probably challenging yourself in ways that you didn’t know prior than just showing up and taking you know the fundamentals for granted. I will say that that gap is closing pretty quickly just because of the influx of international players, the high performance level of college rugby and access now to international coaches and major league rugby academies and all of those types of things, that it’s not, you know, most of the top 20 US rugby college programs have probably got somewhere between 10 to 12 foreigners from all over the world in their environment anyway, so you’re not alone. And then the extension of that is probably something that I love the most, particularly at UCLA is the variety of international or culture that you get within your rugby team because of the different walks of life coming from everywhere and over the world is obviously worldly and gives you a perspective on a different way to look at rugby or play the game or learn a skill. It’s not just the Australian way is the right way, it’s not just the American way is something that they’re not used to. There’s input from the UK, Japan, South Africa, France all different philosophies on how to play the game, so that melting pot at the college level in America is something that I think excites a lot of the international players, in particular when they come over
Chris Bates
Yeah, that’s a really good answer, mate. I feel like I’m listening to myself when you say that, because I talk about that so much when I talk to people about college, and so my question was about coming over and is the standard good enough, but the mindset needs to be slightly different. If you want to go to college, it’s about, okay, I’m going over there for the overall, set myself up for life, whether that’s through rugby or something beyond, and usually it is beyond most of the time, for most of us, mere mortals, our education and our experiences will outlive our sporting prowess and a professional career, right. But yeah, I really like that answer because it’s about, okay, the right person going to college is going in with the mindset of, yes, I’m gonna go get better, but I’m gonna get better by being that leader, being the guys driving high standards, having, maybe the eyes of a coach, a little bit perspective, as you said, peer-to-peer coaching makes you a better player, without a doubt. I’ve seen that across a lot of different sports. So, yeah, really what you said there’s a bit of a mesh and there’s a bit of the American mentality of “let’s get in the gym and rip in, let’s get big, strong and fast” is a good thing for an Aussie kid coming over and for an American kid with an Aussie there steering him around the park, you know setting standards skill-wise, generally, the quality of rugby is, I would imagine, improving over there, right.
Coach Bennett
Yeah, absolutely, and even from my own experience in terms of just like pursuing a professional career or the highest level coming out of high school, like there are so many different avenues and routes and I think the fundamental clear out in Australia only is provided to 5%, if that, of the population so what’s the other 95% want to do that, want to pursue it, and I think what’s exciting about American College and that pathway through rugby is you’re adding other aspects to your character, your skill set, your education, your experience along the way, and there’s it’s only going to make you a better person and if you do decide to go back to Australia after college, then you’ve got that, I think, broader perspective on the game and different methods and you can go back and really have a crack at it or go through the draft process, have a crack at the MLR for a couple years, get a professional contract and then play overseas, or continue to get your eligibility to play for the US or whatever the case may be. There’s, as I said, so many different avenues to the pros at the moment around the world and I think that’s also what excites the American rugby player now is you can go to Japan, you can go to New Zealand you can go to Ireland and play rugby, whereas you probably can’t do that playing football.
Chris Bates
Yeah, that’s a great one, and I think doing that with a degree behind you enables you to go in and give it everything, knowing that you know what, if I get injured here or if I’m just not good enough or if it doesn’t work out, you know what I’ve actually got a pretty awesome, not even call it a backup plan. I’ve got another side to me that that I can really pursue, and I guess that’s the selling point really of college, I think, is you’re arming yourself with more skills, getting a degree that’s valuable, reputable, and you can take that anywhere you know, and your rugby is a vehicle, take you to Japan or Italy or wherever it may be, but you’ve always got that degree and that experience and the confidence that comes with. That is another thing as well, and I think something that we probably under under rate, I suppose don’t talk about enough, is just that it’s the power of the networking.
Coach Bennett
Literally took the words out my mouth, 100%. The value in the network that you get over here in America through the college system, whether it be through the alumni or just being in a major city like Los Angeles, like the people that you meet in the industries there in, is insane. So one little thing that my wife sort of lives by with her career is like your network is your net worth and if you’ve got a good network, no matter where you are in life, like it’s always going to come around and help you out in any capacity. So I couldn’t agree with you more, the networking aspect of rugby in America is massive.
Chris Bates
Yeah, and it’s again you mentioned it before, you sort of don’t know really the power of that until you’re in it. So it’s it to me, we try not to sell college. Funnily enough it sounds like we are, but we kind of sells itself. But if I was to sell it, that’d be my number one selling point. Do internships meet people, say yes to things. If someone’s offering you an opportunity to come and play for a weekend at a club where there’s some people who are pretty well connected, who can line you up with the internship, that can set you up, as you said, for life. You know, yeah, and you just don’t know where it is. But very, very quick story, I had an all-international apartment. I had a South African and a Kiwi and a Czech that I lived with when I was in college and one summer we all went our separate ways to go and do some summer camp coaching and three of us ended up coaching Fortune 500 members and their kids. And then we’ve kept those connections which have set us up with different things, to the point where my roommate, my Kiwi roommate, landed a job back in his hometown in New Zealand as a result of that interaction. So if that’s the sort of stuff that happens and again, part of it too, Harry, we haven’t really touched on is the and I wasn’t planning on touching on it, but just whilst we’re talking, is the power of the status of being a student athlete right, and it’s a powerful thing. People want to employ student athletes, people want to give internships and opportunities to student athletes. It’s a very, a very American thing and it’s something we’re probably not quite as used to in Australia because we’re almost a little bit the opposite, in the sense that tall poppy syndrome is is a legitimate thing, and I often say whatever the opposite of tall poppy is, that’s America. Yeah, so there’s the other opportunities that they can get from there. So, yeah, the power of being a student athlete and the opportunities that brings is not to be discounted as well right?
Coach Bennett
Absolutely, obviously the the elements of being a student athlete with discipline, work rate, work ethic, objective, KPIs and teamwork above all, i think is one of the things that certainly drives that conversation. But you can’t fault the ego as well, like if if there’s an alumni that’s coming in and they send they’ve got a international rugby player from UCLA that’s working in their sector or whatever the case may be, like that’s a badge on on their shoulder as well around who they’re talking to in their network and it’s certainly a pool. I think on the the tall poppy syndrome stuff, that was something it was difficult for me to shake when I originally first got over here as well. And again, the more conversations you have with Americans and advocating for yourself and putting yourself out there only makes that easier. But also you get so much more value and reward out of the conversation you have. And a quick story of past teammate of mine who the listeners may know Andy Ellis, ex-all black to time World Cup, so he moved over to New York after doing a stint in Japan for a couple of years and obviously in New Zealand before that, but I think he at at the time, we’re at a corporate function in New York City and meeting a lot of people, not so much rugby people but high-profile people in their industries and just excited to be around success and obviously the first question you get asked in America is what your name is, and then the second one immediately is what do you do? And it’s something that’s very new to Aussies and Kiwis alike, just with that sort of top-hoppy syndrome culture. But Andy answered the second one by saying oh, I play a little bit of rugby here and there and as the American that you hear that information, you’re like what do I do with that, like I can’t speak to that. So I had to jump in and be like well, actually and again, this is part of the Australian culture, you add, people advocate for you. But I had to step in and be like actually, he’s won two World Cups played for the all blacks, 20, 30 odd tests, internationally recognized athlete. And then the American made it was like well, why the hell didn’t you lead with that, now we’ve got something to talk about.
Chris Bates
That sums up Australian, Kiwis and Americans in one here. Right, that’s pretty, that’s pretty true and yeah, you kind of to step in, say, hey, look, he’s kind of a big deal. Yeah, and again, because we do that, humility is a wonderful trait which sort of gets it’s still doing you in here, but you know, you don’t want to be a big head, and get cut down. So that’s very interesting, that’s a good story and something I can relate to for sure, mate. So, yeah, so I’m just you just mentioned UCLA just then as well, like, with the power of UCLA. I’m just looking at your shirt as we’re talking and just even just that brand, like that, the running cursive writing there, it’s just so identifiable. I’m mildly envious, you know, of just being able to just work in that environment, even if it was for three months, I reckon that’d be a really cool place. I’m very proud of where I went to college in Oklahoma State, awesome. But there’s something, yeah, there’s a real what’s the word, brand to UCLA. I was just curious, mate, with them, what’s it like living there, like, what’s it like living in and around that community? What do you find that people are different on campus? Describe the typical UCLA person, how they carry themselves and that sort of thing, I’m really curious on that one.
Coach Bennett
Yeah, it’s an interesting one and you probably get a different answer generation to generation, depending on who you’re speaking to. But our athletes, obviously the rugby guys, just blow me away in terms of what they are able to achieve in the classroom and on the rugby field and put it all together without a whole lot of support to be honest. Everyone on that campus is a high achiever in some capacity, it’s why they’re there. You have to be, to get in first and foremost with your GPA, and that doesn’t seem to be lowering anytime soon. So there is, with demand, obviously competition. So, as I said, everyone that’s on that campus, whether they’re professors or students, have a background of high achievement and drive to be able to tackle whatever path forward that they’re trying to pursue in whatever the variety. I think what’s cool about our campus, obviously it’s a beautiful campus for anyone that hasn’t been there, next time you’re in LA, definitely go check it out. But you go into the Hall of Fame, I guess like Struck building in UCLA, and look at the achievements of past Bruins, whether it be through athletics and sports or in other avenues of entrepreneurship or founding members of certain businesses or the entertainment industry, and just seeing the names and the vastness and varieties, insane. So you walk through campus on a day to day and you look right or left in five minutes and there’s just something happening. Scratch your head sometimes as to what’s actually going on at some times, but there’s never a dull moment on campus, which is invigorating. Obviously, and something that’s brand new to me is I didn’t do college in America, so I’m almost going through that experience for a first time. But what I think I’ve loved the most and ties me back to what I hold so fondly and what I’m trying to replicate, was my schoolboy days.
Chris Bates
Kings? You’re a Kings boy?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, Kings boy in the GPS system. So funnily enough, we wear the same colours blue and white stripes bit like the Argentina kit for the time being, but just the tribalism in college. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’re watching UCLA compete, whether it be water polo, whether it be basketball, whether it be football, tennis, it doesn’t matter if they’re Bruins are on TV or if they’re on campus, you’re supporting them and you’re watching them and everyone’s got an invested interest in it and it’s really cool.
Chris Bates
Yeah, that’s awesome. It’s really well said, mate, and I’d imagine too, just being looking around as you say left and right, and all these high achievers, and it’d be infectious too right, and sort of success breeds success in a very strong way, doesn’t it? They look at you and see what you’re doing and feel that you very much belong there as well, mate, with what you’re doing. So with that, UCLA, you just touched on your school days and you touched on GPA in that answer as well (grade point average). Just as we wind it up here, I just think it’s pretty important that, you know, what sort of person, what sort of characteristics, grades, rugby, I mean describe your ideal perfect international UCLA rugby recruit, and what do they need?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, gotta have a head on their shoulders straightaway. There’s no handouts, unfortunately, and if you’re not organized and not on top of your stuff, you’re gonna get left behind pretty quickly, just because of the competitive nature of what it’s like and even in the classroom we’ve got aeronautical engineers packing into our front row, which is unheard of, but it’s just crazy that these kids would be able to, I guess, manage these high pressure majors and play sport like rugby at the level that we’re trying to compete at as well. So, definitely gotta have a head on your shoulders. The holistic approach towards an application is super important as well. Like just assuming that you’ve got good grades and maybe you’re the captain of the rugby team is a good thing, but because admissions is so demanding and this is across all colleges as well like, those auxiliary aspects that you can incorporate into your application are super important and they’re not overlooked. So going out into the community or in whatever capacity, sports an easy one. Obviously, the more sports teams in leadership roles you’re in demonstrates that you can lead a team, you can manage high pressure situations with other people. There’s quantifiable objective goals that you’re trying to hit on a constant basis, you know how to manage failure and overcome it, which is a big one as well, and when you are put into the stress situations it’s not unfamiliar to you, so therefore you know how to get yourself out of them and that translates across. So from a rugby perspective, like that’s really really valuable. It’s less about, I think, the individual accolades because, to be honest, admissions at most colleges don’t understand those, but what they do understand is the auxiliary aspect or the holistic aspects of being in a high performance team with leadership qualities and all of those types of things. So I know I’m wafting a little bit, but I guess, trying to round it all up, the perfect rugby candidate specifically to UCLA, obviously you’ve got to have the grades, you’ve got to have the financial support, but in terms of talent we’ve got a variety of rugby athletes. So the doors never closed even if you’re a third, fourth, fifth grade high school rugby player, you still add value just based on your experience, whether it be culture or IQ or family background or just understanding of being in a rugby environment previously. It goes a long way. So I hope that answered your question.
Chris Bates
Yeah, look less about rugby more about leadership, more about being a good team guy. Important to have obviously a strong academic level and focus. It’s not an easy university to get into so you’ve got to be able to demonstrate those minimum levels and then, as you say, in the application, being able to share a bit of yourself outside of rugby and outside of academics. That demonstrates that there’s more to you and you can contribute positively on campus to the broader community. So one of my favourite mantras too for a young kid listening again, if you’ve met with me I would have said this to you: grades equals money. So in the Australian system you’re going through school, some people are really highly motivated, some people aren’t. Some people are really trying to work towards a certain course, some people aren’t. But if you know from as early as Year 9 in high school that every little increment that you can turn from a C plus to a B minus or a B plus to an A minus or B minus to B plus, it’s probably worth money if you end up going into the US system because ultimately your scholarship in a large way, particularly in rugby at the moment there’s not a lot of just rugby money just getting pumped into a scholarship like there are with the NCAA sports, on the men’s side at least so you’ve got to earn your scholarship through merit, academically, and so that can start as early as Year 9, and so the motivation that grades equals money, there’s not too many kids walking around schools in Australia with that mindset. They’re probably just going I’ve got to get good grades because mum and dad said I’ve got to get good grades and I’ve got to be here. But if you’ve got that motivation that you know, wow, this could be really helping build and stack up a nice little scholarship by the time I graduate and then it’s going to enable me to get into universities like UCLA. That’s probably jumping in and giving kids listening and families my own, you know, bit of advice is yeah, grades equals money, and from a young age. This is not all about year 12 results right.
Coach Bennett
No, absolutely. I know we touched on earlier just the pre-admissions sort of nurturing that I certainly try to do. It’s like the earlier that you can start that process with a prospect so they’ve got a good runway to, as you say, build their grades, build those auxiliary aspects around their application is invaluable, and I think I was guilty of it as well. But too many students probably leave that conversation a little bit late and by the time they do they’re limited for choices and options. So I love that grades equals money and I think the addition to that is a variety of options as well. So you’d rather be in a place where you’ve been accepted to four or five different colleges that you’ve applied to and make that tough decision than be left with none.
Chris Bates
It’s a really good point and I should make the point too for those that probably like me, I wasn’t a naturally gifted student and probably not the best motivator student through high school. If I’m being extremely honest, that came much later, when I went to college. But for those who are struggling a little bit in the school, doing your best, it’s okay, you find your spot, as you say, Harry, but it’s for those who’ve got that opportunity to really grow their grades and are listening to this as a youngster, you’ve got a few years ahead. It’s worth it and it’s worth firing up academically as best you can to build your as many opportunities, and then obviously, there’s the financial gain to that at the end of it. So that’s really really good, Harry, I really appreciate it, I think we’ve touched on the topics I was really, really keen to discuss and I think you’ve given an unbelievably good insight to a lot of people really parents listening, I think coaches can learn a lot from this chat, I think, and I think obviously the students are our main audience here. So I think it’s been really, really useful and, again, I’ve enjoyed it. Obviously, we’ve had a lot of chats outside of this podcast and, yeah, I’ve enjoyed this just as much as those, mate. So before we round out, just a few little quick questions for you mate, just fast, fun answers, very, very curious, and then I’ll let you go back to, what are we evening time over there now?
Coach Bennett
Anything? Yes, 6pm over here, So my day’s rounded out, so I’m all good.
Chris Bates
Getting peckish? Probably aren’t you getting hungry. There you go, I’ll start with that one. What’s your favourite adopted American food that you like to get mate?
Coach Bennett
New York pizza.
Chris Bates
Food you miss most from home down under.
Coach Bennett
Lamb chops.
Chris Bates
Okay. So if you’re going straight from the airport, when you’re pulling to Sydney and you stop over before you get home, you go into Coles to get some lamb chops, or you’re getting a pie as well, or is that not so much?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, the expectation would be that the family’s already gone to Woolies and picked up the lamb chops ready to fire on the barbie before I get back home. If it’s not that, it’s probably a chicken schnitty,, good old Aussie chicken schnitty.
Chris Bates
Yeah, a counter meal down at the local Fantastic Favourite all-time rugby player,
Coach Bennett
Stephen Larkham
Chris Bates
Yes, memorable World Cup field goal, Best current coach in world rugby?
Coach Bennett
Scott Robinson or Wayne Smith.
Chris Bates
Awesome, okay, very good, and that might hint your next answer, but what professional franchise anywhere in the world do you support? You know, we won’t count All Blacks or Wallabies in terms of National teams, but in terms of a franchise, who do you support worldwide?
Coach Bennett
Yeah, I mean obviously soft spot for the Tars, just being involved in that franchise in a past life. But undisputedly you can’t argue with what the Crusaders have been able to turn out consistently for the last 20 years. So they just continue to produce excellence and ahead of their time with the way rugby’s evolved over the years, for sure.
Chris Bates
Yeah, and not only that, they’re pretty darn good to watch, right, the product they put out is pretty attractive as well. Yeah, very good, mate, I’ll leave you with that. I thought that was some, you know, just quick fast-fire answers there for me. Really good, and again. Thank you for making this happen, mate, we’ve enjoyed having you on and we’ll get you on again sometime, huh.
Coach Bennett
Yeah, absolutely. Thanks very much for having me, mate, and definitely would love to do this again at some point, and obviously we’ll be in touch over the coming years and hoping we can get more Aussies over to the US in the college pathways, whether it be rugby or other athletics as well. We have a handful of other Aussies and Kiwis at UCLA in NCAA sports and we’re creating a nice little community on campus as well, which is pretty special, so it’s always good to have more.
Chris Bates
No, it’s impressive, mate. I’ve been following you guys on socials as well and it’s making me wish I was young again and actually half-decent at rugby, which I wasn’t but, yeah, putting out a pretty awesome product there, mate, and doing a great job. So, mate, next time you’re in Australia, look us up. I’ll make sure I’ve got the barbie firing and some lamb chops all pre-ordered.
Coach BennettPerfect, sounds good.