Norman Laker: The Art of Defence, Coaching the Stormers & His Journey Through Rugby

Stormers Defence Coach Norman Laker joins us for a wide ranging conversation about his journey through rugby and the evolution of defence coaching. From his early days at the Western Province Rugby Institute to coaching in Sri Lanka and India, Norman shares the experiences that shaped his approach to coaching and the lessons he brought back to South African rugby. He also tells the story of the day he helped save Juan de Jongh’s career, reflects on his journey alongside Dawie Snyman, and breaks down how defence coaching has evolved over the years. Plus, we look at the Stormers’ URC campaign, the upcoming Nations Championship and make our predictions for Week 5 of the URC. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:13 Lineup 03:04 Interview with Norman Laker, Stormers Defence Coach 05:00 URC: Stormers vs Scarlets 09:18 Norman's Sporting Path to Rugby Coach 19:00 Western Province Rugby Institute 23:00 Coaching in Sri Lanka and India 27:30 What Did You Learn During Your Time at the WP Rugby Institute? 35:23 The Day Norman Laker Saved Juan de Jongh's Career 40:45 Norman Laker's Journey with Dawie Snyman 44:50 Coach's Box vs On-Field 51:01 Nations Championship 51:46 The Different Eras of Defence Coaching 53:26 Technical Ability vs Effort 56:16 URC Week 5 Fixtures and Predictions 58:03 Sponsors and Goodbye Behind the Ruck is supported by SuperSportBET, make sure you place your bets this weekend: https://www.supersportbet.com/ A big shoutout to our official apparel sponsor, Macron! 🏅 Don’t miss their incredible range—check it out here: https://www.macron.com/wo?srsltid=Afm... Our audio sponsor for this episode is PlanetWorld South Africa. Check out their services and products on their website:https://www.planetworld.co.za Connect with us on our social pages 👇 WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vayb... Website: https://www.behindtheruckpodcast.com/ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/behindtheru... Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@behindtheruck...