rugby coaching "a passion"

Developing stronger players, connected teams and a clear purpose on the field.

I am a New Zealand rugby coach and founder of Midaswel High Performance, based in Te Kauwhata, Waikato. My coaching combines rugby development, team leadership and physical preparation to help players perform with confidence and precision.

My experience includes leading Te Kauwhata Senior Men’s Rugby to consecutive grand finals in 2025 and 2026, winning the 2025 championship, and serving as a backs coach with a Counties Manukau Representative Divisional 15 squad.

Rugby coaching is about developing people as well as performance. I want players to understand their role, take responsibility for their preparation and feel confident contributing to the team.

As a head coach, I bring together team culture, skill development, tactical preparation and the physical demands of the game. My background as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach helps me connect what players do in training with what they need to deliver on match day.

Through Midaswel High Performance, I also work in strength development, athletic preparation, speed, agility and conditioning. This gives me a practical understanding of how to prepare players with different experience levels, abilities and training needs.

I am interested in coaching environments where I can contribute, continue learning and help build lasting players and team development.

TK Thunder - 2025 to Present

Leading the senior men’s program across team preparation, playing systems, player development and match-day performance.

My responsibilities include:

• Setting team culture.
• Establishing team standards, expectations and accountability.
• Planning pre-season and in-season training.
• Developing attacking and defensive understanding.
• Working with coaching staff on forwards, backs and team integration.
• Preparing players for their individual roles, mindsets and collective responsibilities.
• Reviewing performances and adapting training priorities.
• Building a team environment where players are supported and challenged.

Key achievements

• 2020: Undefeated season (as S&C coach).
• 2021: Championship winners (as S&C coach).
• 2025: Championship winners (1st year as Head Coach)
• 2026: Grand finalists (as Head Coach)
• Led the team to two consecutive grand finals.

Divisional 15 | 2026

Working within a representative coaching environment to support backs preparation and development.

Specific responsibilities and contributions:
Upskilling and developing backs to perform at the next level. Customizing drills to cater to each position in the backline to maximize and build on strengths. 

Established as Midaswel Fitness in 2018

Delivering personal training, strength and conditioning, and athletic development with an emphasis on purposeful training and progressive improvement.

Relevant areas include:

• Strength development.
• Speed and agility.
• Conditioning and work capacity.
• Movement quality.
• Performance testing.
• Training habits and accountability.

Clear expectations. Purposeful preparation. Shared responsibility.

I aim to create an environment where players know what is expected, understand why we train the way we do and take ownership of their development. 

I take time to understand the player behind the performance—their goals, experience, confidence and responsibilities outside rugby. Strong relationships help me coach each individual more effectively. I aim to adjust the mindset of each player to add a different perspective towards their rugby development.

Team standards must be visible in preparation, communication, effort and behavior. I believe accountability works best when expectations are clear and consistently applied.

Catch and pass, tackle technique, support lines, communication and decision-making remain central to my coaching. I want players to execute these skills when space and time are limited. Completing the basics first and foremost.

Players need to understand their role and recognize what the game is asking of them. I use clear explanations and progressive practices to build that understanding.

I review my own coaching alongside team performance. Player feedback, staff discussion and match evidence help me identify what to retain, change or simplify.

My playing approach gives players a shared structure while encouraging them to recognize space, communicate and make decisions. I adapt it to the squad’s strengths, experience and competition demands.

My attacking priorities are:

• Communication FIRST and FOREMOST
• Go forward, with support, and maintain continuity
• Body language is read first
• Movement off the ball is just as important
• Creating and recognizing space.
• Generating quick, usable ball.
• Carrying and supporting with purpose.
• Connecting forwards and backs.
• Maintaining width and depth.
• Making decisions based on the defence.

I have used a 1–3–3–1 framework to organize attacking width and connect forward pods with the backs. My focus is on players understanding their options and responsibilities within that framework.

My defensive priorities are:

• Clear communication and connected movement.
• Go forward, apply pressure, win the contest.
• Appropriate positioning and spacing.
• Sound tackle technique.
• Understanding individual and collective responsibilities.
• Reorganizing quickly after each phase.
• Recognizing when to apply pressure.

Changes of possession demand a quick, coordinated response. I coach players to scan early, communicate and recognize whether to attack space, secure possession or restore defensive organisation. In the last campaign, our key points were to spread the ball to the opposite edge.

I want players to understand how field position, possession, discipline, time and score affect decisions. Leaders should be equipped to respond to the game as it unfolds.

Understand the player’s current skills, physical capacity, positional demands and goals.

Identify a manageable number of development areas that will make the greatest difference.

Use individual, unit and team practices to develop skills progressively, moving towards realistic game pressure.

Use observation, player conversations, match footage and relevant testing to assess progress.

Adjust the plan as the player develops and the demands of the season change.

Physical preparation should support a player’s ability to train consistently and meet the demands of their position.

My approach connects rugby training with:

• Strength: Developing the capacity to produce and absorb force.
• Speed: Improving acceleration and running mechanics.
• Agility: Developing movement control and reactions to game situations.
• Conditioning: Preparing players for repeated efforts.
• Movement quality: Building control through relevant movement patterns.
• Recovery and workload: Considering training demands alongside match schedules and player readiness.

I aim to make physical preparation practical for the environment, available equipment and time players can commit.

I plan training around the squad’s starting point, competition calendar and performance priorities.

Establish team key points and standards, assess players, develop physical capacity and introduce playing principles.

Maintain physical readiness, refine execution and respond to match evidence while preparing for upcoming opposition.

Sharpen key combinations, clarify roles and manage training demands so players arrive prepared and confident.

Each session has a clear objective. I aim to connect warm-ups, skill practices, unit work and game scenarios so players can see how the session supports performance.

A connected team needs clear communication, trust and shared responsibility.

My leadership approach includes:

• Setting expectations early.
• Explaining the purpose behind decisions.
• Giving specific, constructive feedback.
• Developing leadership within the playing group.
• Encouraging players to communicate and solve problems.
• Working collaboratively with coaches, managers and club leadership.
• Recognising progress while maintaining standards.

I want players to feel comfortable asking questions and committed to improving.

• World Rugby Level 2 Coaching Certificate — completed.
• Level 4 and Level 5 Certificate in Exercise.
• First Aid in Rugby.
• Laws of the Game.
• Functional Role Analysis.
• Concussion Management.

My ongoing development priorities include tactical coaching, player development, performance analysis and leadership.

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“[Insert an approved testimonial about player development or team culture.]”

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Professional references available on request.

I welcome conversations with clubs, representative programmes and rugby organisations seeking support in:

• Head coaching.
• Backs and attack coaching.
• Assistant coaching.
• Player and youth development.
• Rugby strength and conditioning.
• Pre-season preparation.
• Seasonal or part-time coaching.

Location: Te Kauwhata, Waikato, New Zealand.
Preferred roles: Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Backs Coach, 

If your organisation is looking for a coach who brings team leadership, practical rugby development and strength and conditioning experience, I would welcome a conversation.

Jay Kaiwai
Rugby Coach | Founder, Midaswel High Performance

Email: jaykaiwai79@gmail.com