Chris Robshaw captained England in some of rugby’s biggest moments. But no amount of on-field experience prepared him for changing nappies at 3am or settling tantrums in aisle four of the supermarket.
“You go from 80,000 people cheering your name to wiping banana off the walls.”
And yet, the lessons from sport have proved invaluable.
Parenting is a team sport.
As a captain, Chris learned that leadership isn’t about control. It’s about trust. The same applies at home.
“You’ve got to trust your partner. You can’t do it all.”
He talks about moments of chaos — like a flight where one child was screaming, the other was hyper from chocolate, and his father-in-law was fast asleep. “That was the moment I realised — this is harder than rugby.”
But there’s beauty in the mess. And there’s leadership in showing up — especially when things go wrong.
“The best teams have emotional intelligence. So do the best families.”
Chris also opens up about the mental load mothers often carry — and how much he’s learned to respect the instinct, rhythm, and resilience of his wife. “She’s the real captain most days,” he jokes.
His advice to new dads? Be present. Share the load. Be okay with not having all the answers.
🎧 For more lessons from the locker room to the nursery, listen here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-dadsnet-podcast-with-jk-al/id1463553047?i=1000701038855
