On the reflections of an international rugby union coach faring their way along

What defines a coach's journey? Is it the local, national or global level they reach, and/or the subsequent tournaments they win? Is it one of potential fulfilment – matching their position against pre-determined benchmarks? Or is it the experiences undergone along the way, overflowing into what is yet to come? Not a connected series of progressive steps mapped in advance, but a continual ebb and flow, the definition of which, remains beyond the horizon? Our aim, here, is to advocate for the latter. Drawing on Tim Ingold's concept of wayfaring, we suggest that a coach's journey is not one of ‘being’ but becoming ; not a nominal sequence that closes in vertically, but a dynamic, cascading process that opens out (a)longitudinally. The implications of this conceptualisation are explored across three components of wayfaring: i) on knowing, ii) on attending, iii) on carrying on. To animate each, we share the biographical reflections of an international Rugby Union coach whose career stretches more than three decades. In sharing these reflections, our hope is to show that a coach's journey need not be defined by the levels reached or tournaments won, but the definition of which continually unfolds through experiences undergone along the way.