Rugby union: Brothers draw on life lessons for head-to-head clash

Their dad, Greg, was a hard-nosed front-rower who played rugby league for Penrith in the 1980s.

Like many from that era, he moved to the bush and eventually settled on the mid-north coast, where he was captain-coach at Kempsey and Smithtown.

His four boys - Darren, Scott, Matt and Grant - tagged along to training and games. In summer, the footy oval was bypassed for the South West Rocks surf life saving club. Life lessons were learnt in a dressing shed and on the beach.

Not surprisingly, Scott, 43, and Darren, 47, have forged their own successful coaching careers.

On Saturday, the brothers will go head to head when the Hunter Wildfires take on unbeaten Shute Shield leaders Gordon at No.2 Sportsground.

The sibling rivalry is next level. The pair played "one game of reserve grade together" at the Wildfires during their first stint in the Shute Shield in the late 90s before Darren went down to Northern Suburbs but are yet to meet as coaches.

"Darren has never beaten me. Not in a wrestle, fight, game of cricket, front-yard footy, drinking game ... anything," Scott boasted.

"He definitely beats me to the front of the line at McDonalds,' Darren retorted.

Banter aside, there are many similarities in the way they go about their business.

"We have pretty good man-management skills and can mix with all kinds," Scott said. "It is a wash off from our old man.

"Darren puts a lot of effort into players on and off the field. He is a full-time coach so he has a lot of time to devote to skill development and analysing their games. It is also the little things he does away from the park."

For the most part, Scott has fitted rugby in around work as a builder.

"Darren is definitely my mentor. I am always asking him questions and have learned so much from him," Scott said.

Rugby is all Darren has known. He got his first job out of uni as a development officer with NSW Rugby and the industry has taken him around the world.

"I have not worked a proper job in my life," he said. "My first job out of uni was a Newcastle development officer job. At that point you have know idea how long it is going to go. I have been working full-time in rugby for 24 years.

"I went from being a NSW Rugby development officer to the Waratahs academy coach at age 24. By working in the organisation, I jumped up to skills coach for the Waratahs when I was 26. Bob Dwyer came in as coach in 2000 and brought in his own staff. I thought it was a good time to go overseas. From age 27 to 32, I had stint in Canada, Italy, Ireland and France. With coaching, as much as you can learn from others, most of it is learning from your own mistakes. I was lucky, a lot of my mistakes were in southern Italy or Canada, while I was figuring it."

Despite their vast experiences, both Scott and Darren are indebted to the traits passed on from their dad, who passed away from a heart attack five years ago.

"I know dad would have been super proud," Darren said. "We grew up in footy changerooms. You don't take too much in as young blokes but you get to understand culture and team sport. Dad was a stickler for being part of a team and being a positive team member. That flowed into his days as club captain at the surf club. He was always the one who would carry the boat down, carry the flags, compete all day and then get everyone to chip in and pack up. He was an awesome man, a real good role model for us."

The two, along with younger brothers and fellow successful coaches Matt and Grant, are always on the phone to each other.

"We share ideas," Darren said. "It's a little different. The amount of time I get to spend on the sport - I'm in it 70 to 80 hours a week. When it's your job, you can invest more intellectual power into it. Bubba is on the tools for most of the week. I have watched his teams play and every time we talk, I learn something from him."

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Darren has plyed his trade in Canada, Italy, France, Ireland, Japan, Super Rugby and the Shute Shield. In general, he has left the club or organisation in better shape than when he arrived.

Penrith hadn't won a game in the Shute Shield in three years when he "jumped in" for the 2005 season.

"We won six that year and it was one of my most rewarding experiences," he said.

He has since coached at Norths, Easta, Warringah, where he won a premiership, and Gordon. Next is the LA Giltinis in Major League Rugby in the US next year.

Scott too has forged an enviable record, guiding Hamilton to eight NHRU premierships including an unprecedented five straight before taking the Wildfires' reins.

Which brings us to Saturday.

Gordon are undefeated.

The Wildfires, thrown together two months ago, are still chasing their first win.

"You have to respect every team," Darren said. "I know Bubba will have some tricks up his sleeve and he has some good players. You find with teams after they get a couple of touch-ups consecutively, that's when cracks can appear. Guys turn on each other and acid starts forming. I have watched the past four games and I haven't seen any white flags.

"I reckon the team he has named this week is probably their strongest. The back-row looks a bit bigger and stronger. The midfield is more physical than it has. If they get front-foot ball, they have some talented players in the backline who will take some handling."

Saturday will be a family affair. Matt, 41, is travelling over from Forbes, where he runs a pub, Grant, 40, and mum, Elaine, are coming down from South West Rocks for the weekend.

"It's a good thing for the family," Darren said. "I imagine there will be a few beers afterwards. I'll let Bubba organise that. That is one thing he is tactically astute at."

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