Top Catt: The serendipitous jog that helped the Waratahs stage a coaching coup

In time, history may record a pivotal moment in the Waratahs’ revival as an Englishman in Ireland colours going for a jog in his homeland South Africa.

The puffing runner was World Cup winner Mike Catt and the scene was the shoreline of Umhlanga Rocks, just north of Durban. It was July and Catt was on tour in his homeland as the attack coach of Ireland.

“I went for a run one of the mornings with the coaches and it was middle of winter, blue skies, waves and everything, and I was just like, you know, this is what life’s about,” Catt said.

Later that morning Catt’s phone buzzed. It was serendipity calling, in the form of newly appointed Waratahs coach Dan McKellar. Would Catt be interested in moving to sunny Sydney?

“I was like, yeah, let’s ask my wife - I’ve always wanted to give my kids the experience of the beach life, like I had growing up in South Africa. So yep, it definitely appealed to me,” Catt said.

Catt, who grew up in Port Elizabeth before moving to England after school, had already said no to McKellar once this year. Knowing Catt was finishing with Ireland in July, the former Brumbies coach had offered him a job at Leicester. Catt wasn’t keen on the grind of a Premiership club, and McKellar departed the Tigers a few months later anyway.

Mike Catt in his new Waratahs kit at NSW Rugby headquartersCredit: Hugo Carr/NSW Waratahs

But McKellar got a “yes” on the second try and Catt recently arrived in Sydney to get started on a three-year contract. His family will join him next year.

It is a return to a familiar city for Catt; trainspotters will recall he kicked the ball out to secure England the 2003 Rugby World Cup at Homebush. But it is also a hugely under-appreciated coup for the Waratahs, given Catt was not short of offers from around the world.

Catt is best remembered for his 75-Test career, and much to his chagrin, probably memorable to most as the unfortunate victim of that Jonah Lomu trampling at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

But after a fourth World Cup in 2007, Catt moved into coaching and has become one of the world’s most respected attack coaches. He worked with London Irish before joining the England staff in 2012 and then moved to become the attack coach of Italy in 2016.

In 2019, Catt joined the staff of Andy Farrell with Ireland, and over the past five years helped the Irish stay at the top of world rugby, with Six Nations titles, a first series victory in New Zealand and, in the recent July Tests, a drawn series with the Springboks. Catt departed with Ireland ranked as the world No.1 side.

So - beaches aside - why did Catt say yes to the Waratahs?

Mike Catt and Jonny Wilkinson after the 2003 Rugby World Cup final.Credit: AP

“The game’s been so good to me and some opportunities obviously don’t come up very often. Dan and I had a really good chat about what he’s looking to do,” he said.

“That excited me a little bit and also, moving away from the international scene, which is pretty limited during the year, as far as day-to-day coaching [goes]. You are not on the grass as much. Selfishly, getting back and coaching on a day-to-day basis quite appeals to me.”

Catt is not fazed about the Waratahs having finished last in 2024: “I’ve been at clubs where you’re bottom one season and the next year you’re finishing near the top. It all works out.”

The 53-year-old is a mechanics-based coach, whose style is to equip players with the right tools to play any style. Catt just wants his players to make good decisions.

“I like the term ‘chase your potential as an individual’ and as a coach, if I can fully guide a player to maximise their potential, that helps massively,” Catt said.

“Every coach says you’ve got to make the right decisions but the process of coaching players to make [the] right decisions, seeing the right pictures, that’s the stuff we’ve done extremely well, from an Ireland perspective.”

Jonny Sexton and Mike Catt discussing tactics in Ireland camp.Credit: Sportsfile via Getty Images

It’s early days for Catt at the Waratahs, and he is still meeting players ahead of pre-season officially beginning next week.

Like many, he has no firm idea on where high-profile recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will play.

“I’ve briefly met him,” Catt said.

“I know what he’s done in the league and all that sort of stuff and what he’s capable of doing. It’s about him getting up to speed from a union point of view.

“By all accounts, he’s a hell of a student of the game and his skill set is exceptional. So I don’t see why he shouldn’t fit in.”