NAME: David Conyers

COUNTRY: Australia

NATIONALITY: Australian

LANGUAGES: English

Profile Overview

 

I started playing the sport of rugby as a seven year old and progressed through programs to eventually reach provincial level of play in Australia with NSW Country in 1984. I continued to play on for 553 club competition matches and was decorated by Australian Rugby for the milestone.

 I began coaching at the relative young age of 28 and have continued every season since in some capacity. I had dual roles for a number of years as a captain coach of several Australian club teams winning many titles and awards in top level regional competitions.

I began coaching select level rugby with Central West rugby in the early nineties winning a U21 country title. I then got involved in men’s selects at zone level and then progressed into provincial youth programs with NSW Country junior rugby where I had a decade involvement with U 15-U18 age groups. In that period I took teams on 10 international tours to New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Argentina, Uruguay, United States, England and Ireland. On those tours we always aimed high in standard, playing the national teams of no fewer than 7 of these nations and the best two high schools in the United Kingdom.

This extensive period in my life had me in high level environments with the Waratahs, Brumbies and Queensland Reds through training camps, coach accreditation and select tournaments. We often engaged the services of Australian rugby to aid our development programs and models.

In 2009 I made a conscious decision to follow my dream of becoming a full time rugby coach and chose to leave Australia in search of that goal in the USA. At the invitation of a college coach, I began my American adventure as an assistant coach in Atlanta Georgia with Kennesaw State University winning the 2009/10 state collegiate championship and progressing two rounds into the South playoffs D2. In 2010 I was appointed head coach and we voted to move to Division one where we made the playoffs and expanded the club. I was involved with both men and women’s team at the college.

 Also, in 2010 I was appointed onto the coaching staff of the Georgia Collegiate selects (15’s) and worked with the 7’s program as well.  I then became involved with the Georgia rugby union as a youth director and then collegiate director. After I attended the rookie rugby certification I trained many students to get qualified and then started a program up at Due West Elementary school for a number of years while I attended college.

 n 2011 I was appointed forwards coach of the recently reformed American South select squad that was to represent America in the N.A.C.R.A championship. The year after, I took over as head coach and in 2013 won six consecutive games to claim America’s first N.A.C.R.A title.

 I continued in the role during 2014 where we claimed the N.A.C.R.A Northern title and lost the final in double overtime to Guyana.

In 2015 I relocated to Oakland, California where I coached St Mary’s college alumni team Diablo Gaels, before returning back to Australia to coach Charles Sturt University in my home town. During November 2015 I was the technical director for the national indigenous U20 team that toured the United States on its historic indigenous tour.

 I was the forwards coach of the Charlotte rugby (USA) team in January 2016 and we took that club to a national top five finish that year.

 I was appointed head coach of the Australian Outback Barbarians that toured Canada in late June 2016. We achieved an 8-0 result on tour.

 During 2017 I was appointed technical of Director, Rugby Austria and national head coach of the 7’s team. My club team Graz won the national championship, and the Austrian national team won the European conference two championships under my control.

I attained a World Rugby accreditation as a  Coach Educator in 2017 through Rugby Europe and developed a national manual for their 7’s program as well as a development plan for the national union.2018 Rugby Austria internationals and NSW men's 7's.

National Indigenous tour to North America as coach.

 

Coaching Qualifications

Level 2 Australia and Waratah youth coach advanced course.

Level 300 USA

World rugby coach educator

Coaching Experience