8:00am
It’s nice and early on a Monday morning, and we’ve arrived at the beautiful Crowne Plaza hotel in Coogee, Sydney – just a stone’s throw from the famous beach! It’s the same hotel where Super Rugby and International teams often stay when they’re in town, including the Wallabies, and for the next two and a half days its home to the 2015 Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) Camp.
I’m with Rosemary Towner, RUPA’s General Manager of Player Development, and we’re laying out the tables in the Centennial Room where our 28 rookies, staff and other invited guests will spend the majority of the Camp learning about all of the different ways in which RUPA will support the rookies to realise their potential on and off the field in 2016 and beyond.
Sam Cox, the Player Development Manager of the Western Force, pops her head in to say hi; she arrived with the Force rookies last night, and has only great things to say about the buffet breakfast and the comfortable beds here!
In a perhaps pertinent sign of the ups and downs which we’ll be talking to the rookies about at Camp, news filters through that the unfortunate Brumbies’ delegation have seen their flight cancelled and will be a wee bit late; it’s not the end of the world, but it is great to see the Rebels, Reds, Waratahs & Sevens groups all turn up on time nonetheless!
11:00am
It’s a great reminder of how close the Australian Rugby family is that as the different squads assemble in the foyer at the hotel, so many of them know one another, whether it’s from playing together in representative teams at underage levels, going to the same school, sharing mutual friends or even just having played against one another before.
When setting out table placements, we expand upon this theme by placing players from different programs next to one another, and as they’ve all arrived to Camp wearing their respective team polo shirts each table represents a rainbow of different colours! RUPA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ross Xenos speaks first, welcoming all of the players to the Camp before a presentation on Cultural Diversity from Dr. Jioji Ravulo.
Jioji is a highly entertaining and personable man, with a diverse calling card which includes working at the University of Western Sydney in the Social Work and Community Welfare space, cultural work with RUPA, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the NRL, and acting experience on cult Australian comedies Fat Pizza and Housos. He is also highly knowledgeable on Pasifika culture and the broader topic of embracing different cultures within a team and/or workplace. His presentation has the boys listening, laughing and learning, and is a great way to cap off the morning before a buffet lunch with the players clearly taking on the advice of their Club dietitians and loading up on vegies and salad alongside the protein!
James Tuttle (Reds) and Sione Tuipulotu (Rebels) are also whisked away during the lunch hour to speak to some journalists keen to meet some of the stars of tomorrow, and learn about what the camp involves.
1:00pm
One of the most important presentations of the Camp is the RUPA-driven conversation led by Toby Duncan and Patrick Phibbs, our General Manager of Player Services & Development and Player Relations Manager respectively. They’re able to tell the rookies about the history of our organisation since the game turned professional exactly twenty years ago, talk them through the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) we share with the ARU and also the Code of Conduct.
That’s followed by a workshop that deals with financial matters, and it’s here that RUPA are able to call upon some of loyal partners with representatives in the room from AFEX and nab Private Wealth. Former Wallaby Captain Stirling Mortlock works for NAB these days and he helps lead this workshop, joining other Wallabies in the room which include James Holbeck, Daniel Herbert and Sam Cordingley.
3:00pm
The afternoon also includes a presentation from Cameron Yorke, the Melbourne Rebels’ Player Development Manager, on overcoming adversity as well as Peter Scibberas and Andrew James from the ARU speaking to the players on behalf of the national body, covering topics including existing partnerships and conflicts of interest.
The day concludes with some free time, with many taking advantage of the hotel’s gym or pool or strolling down to take on the waves at Coogee beach, before we all re-assemble again for dinner and a brush up on some of the finer forms of etiquette.
For me personally, it’s been a whirlwind few weeks since moving to Sydney and beginning work with RUPA, but today was a great way to learn about just what we’re able to do to help all of our members get the most of their professional careers. It’s also been great seeing the players come out of their shells as the day has progressed, and there’s some impressive young ladies and men in the group.
I’ll sleep well tonight, especially when you add in that we’ve taken advantage of any spare time to grab players’ thoughts for RUPA TV, but will rise ready for day two and all that it involves.
