‘Rugby is a Metaphor for Life’: Charlie Louw

As Countdown for Asia Rugby Sevens Series opener, the Thailand 7s, Begins, South Korea’s Coach Shares Golden Nuggets from His Profound Rugby-Life Philosophy

With only two days remaining to the opening kick-off of the Thailand 7s, war drums are pounding and the countdown to the launch of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series (ARSS2022), in an exciting new three-round format featuring Asia’s top 7s teams, has truly begun.

As has thereby the quest to determine, and assert as far as the competing women’s and men’s national teams are concerned, which of Asia’s 7s teams, is the best.

In this bright and pulsating light, Asia Rugby sat down for a chat with the coach of South Korea, the men’s team that could well be deemed one of the favourites for this title based on its outstanding last outings.

Charlie Louw, the South African coaching powerhouse, is the High Performance Director and Coach of Ryutsu Keizai University (RKU) and has recently been promoted to head coach of the South Korea 7s team.

Charlie was one of the faces behind both, Korea Men’s 7s team’s qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and South Korea stunning favourites Hong Kong at the Olympic Qualifier in Incheon last year.

Asia Rugby (AR): How important is the Asia Rugby Seven Series as part of your calendar?

Charlie: The Asia Rugby Sevens Series is the flagship competition for Asia Rugby and plays a huge part in Korea Rugby Union’s yearly calendar. It is not only an opportunity for Korea to play against its Asian rugby partners but also an opportunity for us develop the next generation of players so we can be competitive on the world stage.

AR: How was your preparation for the tournament?

Charlie: Unfortunately our preparation has been limited due to the Korean National Sports Festival last week, and also hampered by injuries to key players. However, it is an excellent opportunity to see what some of the younger players can do.

AR: What do you want to achieve in the first leg if the Series, at the Thailand Sevens?

Charlie: In every competition we play in our goal is always the same – to be competitive. I want to see execution of the basics achieved under pressure. If we do this, then we can be competitive and give ourselves and opportunity to win the game: one game at a time and consistently over the tournament. That is our objective.

AR: What does rugby mean to you?

Rugby means a great deal to me as I see it as an opportunity to teach people about themselves. To me rugby is a metaphor for life and it contains three life-associated processes.

The first is the preparation phase. This requires planning, preparation and practice. This is where learning takes place. Gradually improving, and so developing good habits that will stand you in good stead for life.

The second is putting what you have learnt into practice in a competition – in other words a test of your abilities under pressure. The result does not matter provided you give 100%; always learning from your mistakes and continually striving to get better and be more competitive.

Lastly, as this process continues over time, qualities develop that build character, which can serve the players in life and in long run add value to the communities they are part of.

Asia Rugby Men’s Sevens Series 2022 #AR7s
Thailand 7s Korea 7s UAE 7s

Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series 2022 #ARW7s
Thailand 7s Korea 7s UAE 7s

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