#183 Ben Darwin - Director Gain Line Analytics, Former Australia Pro Rugby Player and Coach

Sleep Eat Perform Repeat

Today we spoke with Ben Darwin - Director Gain Line Analytics, Former Australia Pro Rugby Player and Coac.

Ben had to retire from professional rugby prematurely due to a severe neck injury. Here's the story about what he's done since, and why he went this way...examining team cohesion and teamwork indices that contribute to consistent winning and on-field success. Ben propped for the Brumbies and the Wallabies, before embarking on analytics and forward coach positions with teams such as Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Suntory in Japan. His company, Gain Line, founded in 2013, is changing the game around data analytics revealing that great teams are the product of the connections and linkages within.

There is a wonderful dialogue around the structural layers that drive cohesion in teams, namely shared experiences, combinations and the overarching system - one for pro sport and business. As distinct from other operations and management consultancies in the industry, Gain Line places a strong focus on data analysis and quantitative research. We really appreciate this as the solutions are backed by evidence and real-world experience, like our worlds in physio and sports medicine. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Highlights

• 🚑 Overcoming a life-threatening neck injury
• 🤝 Team cohesion and teamwork indices
• 🏃 Transitioning from professional athlete to a coach
• 💻 Gain Line analytics and data analysis for Pro sport and business
• 🔑 The keys to building great teams
• 📈 Following data and evidence for decision making

Timestamps

• (3:49) - What has made SH so dominant?
• (4:45) - Coaching through successes + failures
• (5:15) - Journey from playing to analytics
• (6:50) - The birth of Gain Line analytics
• (9:45) - If you focus on spying you'll fall behind
• (11:16) - Looking for the common attributes of success
• (13:29) - Ireland vs the worst All Blacks team in Chicago
• (17:05)- How to judge form players and how they will fit into a team
• (18:15) - How cohesion leads to World Cup success
• (21:00) - The rise of Irish Rugby
• (22:45) - Stable team leads to success
• (25:00) - Man Utd, Barcelona, and the cycle of chaos
• (31:30) - The impact of support staff in elite sport
• (35:10) - Ben's life-changing injury
• (39:52) - Teamwork index and applying to spotting
• (40:52) - Changing jerseys can cause diminished performance
• (42:59) - Moving into NFL + NBA
• (44:15) - The need to prove + back up your claims with leadership trains
• (48:55)- What does high performance mean to you?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For information on previous guests and shows please visit www.SleepEatPerformRepeat.com. Previous guests include Cal Newport, Dr. Michael Gervais, Joy Neville, Rich Froning, BJ Fogg, Sonia O'Sullivan, Rich Diviney, Keith Earls, Caelan Doris, Chanelle McCoy, PJ Nestler, Jack Butcher, Shane O'Sullivan, Chris Burkard, Brian Keane, Steve Magness, Owen Eastwood, Steven Kotler, Daniel Davey, Ray Goggins, Shane O'Donnell, Jonny Cooper, Capt Emily Bassett, George Kruis, Brett Bartholomew, Aoife McDermott, Lisa Jacob and many more.