Ryan Dunnett grew up in a rugby-obsessed environment in New Zealand and played the sport for 26 years, but injuries led him to end his career as a player and become a coach. The position has taken him all over the world, including Calgary where he has spent time as a coach in recent years and currently lives.
Everyone around Dunnett played rugby when he was growing up, including his brother and his friends. It quickly became a passion for Dunnett as well, as he started playing rugby at the age of five. His success on the pitch helped him join the top team at his school.
“We were just sort of mad about it,” Dunnett said.
A love of the game
One of Dunnett’s favourite moments is when he had the privilege of playing in the Murrayfield Stadium in Scotland in front of 40,000 fans. At the time, he was playing halfback for the Hawke’s Bay Under 16s, his local team, and they played right before the All Blacks and the British Lions, two highly regarded national teams.
Near the end of Dunnett’s playing career, he moved to Edmonton to play for the Leprechaun Tiger Rugby Club, which he ended up coaching later on in his life. It was during his time with this team that Dunnett met his now-close friend Dave Harper. At the time, Harper was captain of the team and played lots of games with Dunnett.
“Really good skills, really good head for the game,” Harper said about Dunnett.
One part of rugby that Dunnett loves is how different it is from most other sports. While it is still competitive, sportsmanship is more important in rugby. Community is a huge part of the sport, whether that’s with the people on your team or the other one.
“When players stop playing, they don’t miss training, they don’t miss playing the game, but they miss the sort of camaraderie you have.” he said. “I think that’s pretty important.”
From the field to the sideline
Unfortunately for Dunnett, late in his playing career, he faced knee injuries that led to him having a knee operation. This not only was going to make it harder for him to play, but made his entire future in rugby unclear.
“The doctor said never to play rugby again, and then I played 36 months in a row around the world.” he said, “It was probably a bit stupid, but I don’t regret it.”
At the age of 31, Dunnett decided to go from playing rugby to coaching it. Luckily for Dunnett, he already had plenty of experience, since he started coaching at 14 years old. After high school, he completed a sports recreation degree, majoring in sports coaching.
“He’s not a beat-around-the-bush kind of guy. He’s very straightforward about what he wants.”
Rugby player Jack part on his coach ryan dunnett
Some of Dunnett’s greatest achievements in rugby came during his time as a coach, such as how he’s coached in 11 countries all over the world and has helped coach and develop some players who have gone on to play for the vaunted New Zealand All Blacks team.
Straightforward, honest feedback
As a coach, Dunnett tries to instill a winning mentality in his players and help them develop a strong mindset. He pushes them to always practice good technique and to always train as hard as possible so that they have the best chance at winning.
Dunnett spent time as the coach of the Calgary Hornets, where he was able to coach Jack Part, who is a member of both the Hornets and the Mount Royal Cougars rugby teams. Part admires Dunnett’s knowledge of the game and his “all-business mindset.”
“He’s not a beat-around-the-bush kind of guy. He’s very straightforward about what he wants,” Part said.
While Dunnett is very straightforward when it comes to coaching, he’s always open to trying new plays or changing the team’s style of play when needed. His experience with rugby, both as a player and a coach, has helped Dunnett when teaching younger players.
“He’s really good at drilling information and how to play the game into your head,” Part said.
As for what the future holds for Dunnett, he’s unsure what exactly lies ahead of him, but his involvement in the rugby community is something that Dunnett hopes to continue for the foreseeable future.
“I’m…donating some rugby balls and stuff like that to people less fortunate. And then we’ll see what happens from there.”