A few months ago I managed to catch up with an old friend and professional rugby player Will Heinz. Heinzy and I played footy together while we were in Christchurch. Speaking from experience Willy has an epic passing game, a great work ethic and an elite fitness level. He is a great man or as I like to say a GC. There is no fluke to why he has had such a great and long career in professional rugby. He has dedicated himself to the little things, the fundamentals and improving at every opportunity. Will Heinz has played professional rugby in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, International rugby for England, he is an amazing husband, father and great guy to be around.
My plan was to just catch up with an old mate Will Heinz but I thought we would record our conversation just in case we stumbled upon any gold nuggets for other players or people transitioning from professional sport or going through career change. (Video embedded below). We talk about his career and the move from New Zealand to the United Kingdom. Who have been the key people in his decision making and career decisions. What does he have planned for the next few years and is he thinking about the transition to life after rugby. The challenges and lost sleep of what he wants to do and why he wants to do it. What has helped change his mindset around a transition from the game and potential avenues to explore including property and leadership opportunities.
We also have a quick chat about what Eddie Jones asked of Will and the three things he needed to make the England squad. I really enjoyed chatting to my old friend and wish him and his family all the best moving forward. If you want to check out more about rugby players making the transition from Rugby you can see Toby Freeman’s interview here and I have also written more about my own personal story and an article on when to retire from Rugby. You can find it here If you want to learn more about Will Heinz and his rugby career you can view here.
Imagery Credit – Getty Images