Conor Turner, Lead S&C Coach for Rugby Canada’s National Development Academy, shares his journey from playing semi-pro rugby to studying with Setanta and embarking on a coaching career. 

Beginnings in S&C

Having played a wide array of sports—including rugby, football, cricket, tennis, and American football—Conor eventually focused his athletic ambitions on rugby, pursuing the game at a semi-professional level in Australia, England, and Canada. 

Conor began his degree in S&C while still competing as an athlete “playing National League Rugby in England just prior to Covid.” After the pandemic, Conor returned to Canada to play rugby with the National Development Academy, the Pacific Pride. A serious injury ultimately ended Conor’s playing career and opened the door to a new opportunity. “During this time, I was still continuing with my degree,” Conor explained, “and I was offered an internship with Rugby Canada for Strength and Conditioning. At the beginning of 2024, I was offered a full-time position as the lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Pacific Pride. In this role, I report directly to Michael Deasy who is the Lead Strength and Conditioning coach for the national senior men’s team.” 

Current Roles

Conor outlines his role as Lead S&C coach for the Pacific Pride, Canada’s National Development Academy. “This is a programme to up-skill and develop young players coming out of school, university and club rugby in Canada with a vision of preparing them for the demands of professional and international rugby,” he explained. 

Conor also runs Turner Brothers S&C, where he coaches the general population. “My role within Turner Brothers is more of an online coaching role where I work with everyday people to help them achieve their goals,” he shared. “I also really like to help educate and share my experiences/learnings on there as so much content in the fitness industry these days is solely based around money and views. I just want to help inform and inspire the best I can.”

Lastly, Conor co-founded Peak Ambition with his brother and father. Their main aim is “getting young kids from around local/rural areas into sports at a young age. Our sole focus and drive is physical literacy,” Conor shared. “We offer extra curriculum programmes in the winter and run camps in the summer for children of all ages.”  

Outlining His Coaching Approach

“Getting to know the athletes and building rapport is critically important. I’ve found this invaluable as athletes can give feedback to you and vice versa. This should be a continuous process for the long-term development of any athlete and coach.” 

Conor prescribes programmes that focus on “simple and basic exercises with the intention of them being performed at a world-class level.” He believes in prioritising fundamentals, sharing, “I see so many people that just overcomplicate training when it doesn’t need to be complex. My main phrase is world-class basics because if you can’t execute basic skills you probably won’t have much success completing more complex tasks.” 

Working with Youth Athletes and Older Athletes

In his varying roles, Conor works with a range of athletes from young athletes to more experienced players. Sharing the difference in his coaching approach between the two groups, Conor explained, “the main difference between younger and older athletes is experience in and out of the gym and on and off the pitch/field. Younger athletes will require much more guidance rather than older athletes who have usually seen certain scenarios over and over consistently throughout the years. This doesn’t mean less coaching is required. It means that younger athletes will need to be guided as it will be the first, second, third-time basis in the learning period for them. 

Younger athletes might be on more of a basic strength/power/conditioning building programme to develop multiple metrics whereas, older athletes might be on more complex training programmes to enhance the foundation of strength they have already developed over a period of years,” he explained. “The main goal still remains the exact same; just tailoring the work to the specific demographic is important, if not critical from a coaching perspective. Each still needs coaching on a continuous basis. However, the older athlete will grasp certain things faster due to previous experience rather than the younger athlete who is seeing it for the first, second or third time. The only difference in approach for me is the guidance younger athletes need.” 

Studying with Setanta

“I have always had a passion for training and learning about the body and how it works/performs so this became my back up option/career choice for when rugby comes to an end,” he shared. 

“The online nature of Setanta’s programme allowed me to travel and not be held back by any limiting factors. I had previously looked into other degrees but all were too general for my liking until I stumbled across the specific course towards S&C. Since taking this degree I haven’t looked back.” 

He outlines his key takeaways from studying with Setanta below:  

  • “Rapport with players/athletes and coaches is critical for the success and progression of both parties.” 
  • “Basics always serve a purpose and should never be overlooked.” 
  • “Your training programme and application of principles is the most important part in my opinion.” 

Looking to the Future

Looking ahead Conor wants to “continue to excel in the sport of Rugby and help the development of youth talent in Canada. I would then like to move into other sports if opportunities exist to experience different styles and ideas around training. 

As younger athletes early specialisation in sports can be detrimental to the development process and physical literacy. I think as coaches we must think the same so we can always be offering the highest quality of service to our athletes. We will expand our ideas and venture into new challenges and continue to grow just like athletes,” he shared. 

When it comes to advice for other coaches starting out, he outlines “make sure you are gaining reps with your coaching. Every time you coach you get better and more confident with your style. You will tell your athletes and players that they need the reps in order to develop. Guess what, you also need the reps to continue to develop and really craft your own coaching style which will stand you in good stead.”

Learn more about studying strength and conditioning with Setanta here.