Lessons in Leadership: Alex Sanderson highlights leadership vital leadership traits for World Cup stars

Ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, we caught up with Sale Sharks’ Director of Rugby, Alex Sanderson to find out more about the leadership attributes he views as instrumental for any success teams and individual players will have at the tournament, gives his thoughts on which team is best equipped to lift the trophy and more.

What are the five leadership traits in a coach and then a player that are integral heading to a major tournament like a World Cup?

Honesty 

I think honesty, always transparency and honesty. It’s such a high-stress environment the World Cup finals and the biggest stress for the players is selection. So, they have to understand why they’re not being selected? What they can do better? The biggest stress from player to player through honesty is trust and alignment. As a coach as well, you do a lot of analysis and overthinking and if you try and dumb down things too much you get found out pretty quickly, so honesty is definitely one of them.

Hard work

Always hard work and it shouldn’t feel like hard work if you’re enjoying it and you have purpose. Graft underpins any successful team leader. You have to have it.

Humour

I’ve spoken with a lot of people in the special forces and this is something they remark on, that a great leader should be able to crack a smile when, for all intents and purposes they should actually feel like crying. Those are the ones that tend to galvanize people around you, so a sense of enjoyment, by way of a sense of humour.

Discipline

You can’t work hard unless you’re disciplined. Primarily, self-discipline. You only know who you are behind closed doors. You may turn up and put the uniform on when everyone’s looking but it’s those small choices you make when no one’s looking

A cutting-edge culture 

As a coach and a team, I think you’ve got to be doing things that are right at the forefront of pioneering by ways of the game model and all your skill set to be able to compete with the world-class players around. It can’t just be done on good vibes and hard work and honesty alone can it? You’ve got to be really good at what you do as well and combine it with a graft.

What are the greatest examples of leadership you’ve seen in a World Cup?

I was in the 35-man World Cup squad of 2003 but got cut when it went down to 33. I was gutted not to be there, but as a fan, I was still very much involved in how they did. How they managed that final and how composed they were in the final. There are different types of leaders there, Martin Johnson, for setting up the scenario to allow them to win the World Cup. Then there’s Johnny Wilkinson, and that’s for his communication and his actions. For having a clear head to slot a kick from 40 metres out with his bad foot. That’s leading through your actions when the team needs you to step up in that part. 

The other is Richie McCaw for winning back-to-back World Cups. It’s incredibly hard when you’re already world champions to be able to consistently perform at the highest level when everyone’s gunning for you. It takes a special character to keep a team together, stay the course, and to keep improving as well, which they did over that eight-year spell.

Which teams are best equipped to go and win the World Cup?

It’s not just about world rankings. South Africa have really bounced back and found form in recent weeks. They’ve found an identity that suits them again, which is their power game. That’s why they looked so dangerous against New Zealand, who have to be the smartest team in the competition. So, they will find a way to combat the physicality that South Africa showed him last time too.

You’ve also got Ireland who have been the best team in Europe and ranked number one team in the world. They haven’t traditionally done well in World Cups, despite how they’ve done in the Six Nations, but I think this team has grown. When you get a group of players that didn’t achieve what they wanted to in Europe, and I’m talking about Leinster because that is essentially the Irish team. You end up carrying anger and anger isn’t a bad source of motivation. 

Those three teams allied with France as well, who will forever have the potential on home soil both domestically and internationally. So I think you can expect big things from those four, I think they’ll be the semis if they don’t knock each other out in the groups.

Thoughts on the Sale Sharks players heading into the World Cup?

Individually they’ve shown quite well, when they’ve been given the opportunity. George Ford has looked good when he’s got quick ball and Manu’s been strong. You forget this is the longest stretch that Manu Tuilangi’s had in the last 10 years of games. This was our aim three years ago, can we get you at your most robust playing your best rugby by the time the World Cup comes because this might be his swan song this World Cup and this next season. I feel like we’ve gotten him to a place where he can do that. 

Tom Curry hasn’t played yet but whenever the country has played poorly, he has gone on to excel. He is so intrinsically motivated, that he doesn’t need any extra motivation. I’d like to see Bevan Rodd given an opportunity too, maybe this will be a chance for him to shine and make a name for himself on the international stage. 

We wish the best of luck to the Sale Sharks’ players competing at the World Cup and England, who will look to lift the trophy for a second time.