Dubai: Former Fiji sevens coach Ben Ryan is on sabbatical after leading the Pacific Islanders to Olympic gold in Rio, and has said he won’t get back into management until at least the beginning of next season.
After winning the inaugural Olympic sevens tournament in Brazil, which was Fiji’s first Olympic medal in any event, the 45-year-old Englishman had his pick of jobs in both sevens and 15s, but chose to pursue public speaking opportunities in America instead.
“I’d always said after Fiji I’d take a break, I put my heart and soul into Fiji and just wanted to take a breather and look at where’s next,” Ryan told Gulf News on the sidelines of a HSBC coaching initiative at Hamdan Bin Rashid High School in Mirdiff on Wednesday.
“I’ve had a number of offers but I’m not in a rush, I’m definitely not taking a full-time job until at least the beginning of next season.
“The key thing for me is that the next challenge is as exciting as Fiji was. Whether it’s in sevens or 15s, I’m open. I need to go into a team where I could add value. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a top team, but I’d like to go somewhere where I can get them to win trophies.”
Of being linked with both the New Zealand and Japan sevens roles, he added: “None of those doors are shut and four years is still a long time, a lot of these teams are looking at that Olympic cycle and I certainly am too.
“I had good conversations with 15s teams as well however, so I’m open, but the next thing has to excite me, it has to be a thrilling challenge otherwise I’ll continue to do the work I’m doing in the corporate world.
“I’m a three or four year coach, I like to have those chunks before I start thinking I just need to have a breather and take time away.”
But as to whether he’s a sevens or 15s coach, he replied: “I’m a coach full stop. I have to be somewhere where I can influence the culture and philosophy of how we are going to play and every aspect of that.”
