INTERVIEW: Ben Ryan considering his next step

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  • Englishman Ben Ryan turned Fiji into a rugby sevens force.

    Ben Ryan likes to pack a lot into his days. The Englishman burns bright with progressive ideas and enthusiasm, eagerly searching fresh experiences wherever they might take him. This pursuit of a life less ordinary gained global prominence this summer when a three-year odyssey as Fiji coach ended with Olympic gold in the inaugural rugby sevens. Since tasting such glory, Ryan’s interests have become ever broader.

    As a temporary citizen of New York, he became a mentor to high-ranking businessmen and inspiration to Knicks basketball superstars such as Carmelo Anthony. You can even add work with a footwear company to the growing list.

    Narrowing the Cambridge Blue down to one topic is hard enough during an interview, let alone in his professional life. Ideas bounce off each other with the same frequency champion winger Josua Tuisova smashed through tackles in Rio. So can rugby contain such a fertile mind any longer?

    “There is a danger of that, because of the stuff I’ve seen in America,” Ryan tells Sport360, when asked about potentially being lost to the game, during an HSBC special grassroots schools initiative session with eager Emirati schoolboys in Al Warqa.

    “I also love my football and am a season-ticket holder at Brentford. All the stuff around football, I think there are huge improvements to be made in regards to culture. I think coaching is coaching. Keep it simple and make sure everybody is kind to each other but successful.

    “I don’t want that to come across as ‘hippy’, but we have shown with Fiji you can do both and dominate the game you are playing. At the New York Knicks, the president is also doing their yoga classes.”

    An indelible imprint has been left on both Ryan and Fiji since their adventure together received the deserved finale. A grateful nation bestowed upon their iconic coach the traditional chief’s name of Ratu Peni Raiyani Latianara, as well as three acres of paradise. This gesture means hotelier has been latched on to Ryan’s extensive list of possible occupations.

    “Get yourself to Pacific Harbour, where I am a chief in Serua province,” says the voluble 45-year-old with typical enthusiasm when quizzed about the Pacific Island which he has become synonymous with. “There is a lovely spot called Uprising Beach Resort, on the Coral Coast. You can surf there, with a top-five break in the world at Cloudbreak. It is only an hour-and-a-half’s drive from the airport. Our place will be on Airbnb when we actually build the resort.”

    In a sport populated by gruff men like Michael Cheika and Sir Gordon Tietjens, Ryan cannot help but stand out. As a stranger to stasis, time was called on a successful six-year spell with England in 2013 after a fear of becoming jaded. This gregarious nature and appreciation of innovation made him a perfect fit for the free-flowing Fijians.

    It has further made the last few months appear as gloriously random as a Jackson Pollack painting. A definitive answer about his future plans in the sport is sought out in every interview. But the idea of jumping straight into a plum 15-a-side post does not satiate a man who admitted after the bruising 43-7 defeat of his native Great Britain in the Games decider that he had fielded more than 20 job offers.

    He says: “There are things I was forced to re-learn, as I think I had got a bit disenfranchised by everything in England. Too many people, too many layers, not enough kindness. These are things I will never let go of now and will be fundamentally part of anything I do going forward. I have taken a breath in the short term.

    “I knew I was going to be working in partnership with HSBC doing a few things, I’ve had some consultancy work in the United States with professional teams in different sports. I’ve done some mentoring of some CEOs in the corporate world and working in R&D in a footwear company. There are a whole heap of things. I said I wouldn’t go full time until next year, and that is the earliest.

    “Whether that is sevens or 15s, it is really down to what excites you. For me, it is never about the money. It is about the challenge and Fiji is a tough one to topple. Maybe an under-performing Premiership team or a team in Super Rugby who aren’t hitting the highlights. It could even be back to the sevens because of the appeal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

    Freedom has ensured the four-time Dubai Rugby Sevens winner will only be present at this weekend’s gala event as an ambassador for the HSBC World Series. Even though he will not be able to compete, it does not take away from Ryan’s excitement.

    He says: “I have had a lot of success here, winning the title four times. When the dusk comes down on the Saturday nights, it is such a noisy cauldron in Dubai. It is a fast pitch. The crowd are very knowledgeable and receptive about rugby. Many memories here and a lot of friends here in the UAE.”

    For someone who plainly does not dwell on the past, Ryan’s spell with Fiji still resonates. A special bond was forged, which began with going voluntarily unpaid for the first four months of his contract after financial problems within the Union. Alongside the likes of captain Osea Kolinisau and the rampaging Jasa Veremalua, successive Sevens Series were then lifted prior to the iconic triumph in Brazil.

    “The obvious one was after the gold medal game, just embracing each of the players and telling them they are Olympic champions,” says Ryan, when asked to pin down his favourite memory of this enlivening period. “That was just brilliant.

    “I had my best memories on the training field with Fiji, laughing and joking. So much so that you are in stitches. That’s camaraderie. I wake up in the morning and have half a dozen messages on Facebook Messenger from the boys. They are like little brothers to me.”

    The world is waiting to see what comes next for Fiji, post-Ryan. An answer won’t come in Dubai, with permanent replacement Gareth Baber set to assume control prior to January’s third round in Wellington, New Zealand. Whatever follows, the Welshman has the unequivocal backing of his celebrated predecessor.

    “Gareth is a good guy,” Ryan says. “He has my absolute support. It is a tough gig, but as he has said himself, he wants this challenge. We all want to see Fiji continue at the top table. I wish him all the very best and I will always be a phone call away.”

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