Rugby Coach Uses Flying Geese to Inspire Team Japan

When your rugby team needs a lesson in teamwork, sometimes the best teachers have feathers.

Eddie Jones, the former England coach now leading Japan's national rugby team, has turned to an unexpected source for inspiration. He's showing his players videos of geese flying thousands of miles in perfect V formation.

The coaching technique addresses a specific problem. Japan lost 35-32 to Australia last weekend, and Jones felt his team's support play wasn't sharp enough.

"The head of the flock is like the ball carrier," Jones explained. "The ball carrier is king, and then everyone else has got to follow after that."

In those graceful V formations, each goose follows the one directly ahead. Jones wants his players to mirror that natural coordination, with support players responding instantly to whatever the ball carrier does.

The Australian coach has made five changes for Saturday's rematch in Townsville, including picking university student Yoshitaka Yazaki on the wing. With his geese videos in hand, Jones says Japan has "set ourselves the task of really taking it to Australia this week."

Why This Inspires

This isn't just quirky coaching. The geese method has serious championship credentials.

Legendary soccer manager Sir Alex Ferguson used the exact same technique during his 26 years at Manchester United. He would stop training sessions and point to geese overhead, reminding players that if birds could take turns leading a 4,000-mile migration, his team could give him 38 games to win the league.

Ferguson shared the story again in 2014 when Team Europe captain Paul McGinley asked him to motivate the Ryder Cup squad at Gleneagles. The players embraced it so deeply that "remember the geese" became their rallying cry throughout the tournament.

Europe dominated that competition. And in a moment McGinley still marvels at, a perfect V of geese flew directly over the clubhouse as they celebrated victory.

"It was a phrase we used throughout the week," McGinley said afterward. The simple lesson from nature had connected with golf's biggest superstars, including Rory McIlroy.

Now Jones is betting the same natural wisdom can unlock better teamwork for Japan. Sometimes the most powerful lessons come from looking up at the sky.