The most important feeling I had working with Gilly was I always trusted the advice and training plans he put together for me. Whether it was to push a little harder or to take more time for recovery, he always got this spot on. He had a great feel for the big picture and shaped his advice to suit. It meant every time I took the field I felt confident I’d done everything to be in the best shape possible to perform.

In 2014 after playing professional rugby for 13 years there was evidence it was taking its toll on my body. I reached out to Gilly to rebuild my body during a 6-month sabbatical. I came back stronger and 2015 was my best year yet and I went on to achieve a lot more in my career finally finishing years later. I put a lot of this success down to the knowledge Gilly shared with me to maintain my body to be able to perform at the highest level week in week out.

I would not have been able to achieve the heights that I reached if it wasn’t for the continuous work and friendship I had with Nic. Working with a trainer and working hard is one thing but having a great connection and that close work/friendship/respect really made a difference to my approach to everything. We worked really hard and having that close link really helped our process.

The one thing that sticks out for me when people ask about Gilly is his ability to listen and get a real understanding of how your body works and reacts and will adapt to any situation thrown at him. The detail that goes into his training specifics and position specifics is world-class.

I personally benefitted from Gilly across my career, he was able to push me to places physically where I wouldn’t have imagined I could ever reach. I know this as every year in my career I improved physically, even as I was in my mid-30s. He did this through utilizing my strengths and working on my weaknesses to develop greater aerobic capacity and building strength in unique ways adapted to my body and injuries.

A quick coffee session with Gillies helped me realize my goal of donning the glorious black jersey at the age of 29. I became one of the oldest players to debut for the All Blacks and I've come to realize that by being equipped with the right knowledge and having the right motivation to reach your goals, anything is possible no matter the shape or size, age or gender.

Love his passion and his work ethic toward our physical & recovery aspects of training. Gilly has a great way of keeping things simple and explaining it but also trying to find ways to make us better athletes.

Gilly has changed my body, I went from being a skinny weak tall kid into a strong explosive athlete. The only way I have been able to play at the highest level for over 13 years, is from the changes my body has gone under. I started playing for the All Blacks at 106kgs. I’m 122kgs now and leaner than I was at 106kgs.

Gilly has taught me that training, regardless of what you are targeting is about doing the basics really well, training quality with consistency and looking after your body. He has helped me develop good habits before, during and post training and ultimately taught me to love training and push my body to get better.