Sitting in the stands of the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Craig Fulton was observing the Indian players in a training session of Hockey India League (HIL) franchise Team Gonasika. The India chief coach also kept an eye on Paul Revington as the Gonasika head coach gave instructions to the players.
Following the session, Revington waved and walked up to Fulton, both shaking hands and embracing before exchanging pleasantries. The association between the two South African coaches go back to four decades, from their junior playing days.
“Craig and I are pretty much the same age (Fulton is 50, Revington 51). We grew up playing against each other and briefly played together at U-21 level. He continued playing at the senior level. I got injured and went into coaching. Most of our life, in terms of hockey, has been on similar paths,” said Revington, who was head coach of Great Britain and England till the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Since Revington moved into coaching quite early, he went on to become the South Africa head coach, handling the team that included Fulton for years, including at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Fulton took up full time coaching after retirement, first at club level, then as Ireland’s chief coach and Belgium’s assistant coach before taking over India.
“It is amazing. Craig’s done exceptionally well with Ireland, Belgium and now with India. Like all good coaches, he’s taken different parts of his own journey and pieced it together in different countries,” said Revington.
“Here in India, he’s read the hockey community and the playing style correctly. He’s looked at what India needed at the right time. He’s done that in his own unique and special way.”
It is common for former South Africa players to move to other countries for coaching. Besides Revington and Fulton, there is Greg Nicol, who is New Zealand coach. Though being in the elite circuit means the compatriots get to meet each other occasionally, it puts them in opposite camps.
Fulton and Revington have faced each other multiple times in the last couple of years as India faced Great Britain, most famously in the Paris Olympics quarter-final when Harmanpreet Singh and teammates delivered a brilliant performance. Despite being reduced to 10 men for three quarters, India held firm before winning the shootout.
“On the tour it’s just business. In the Olympic year, it’s different. It’s all hands on because you get one chance in four years. You’ve got to do it as you may not get another chance. So, it’s very focused and business-like,” said Fulton.
“But we see each other on the circuit and play warm-up games. The teams get the edge on each other and learn from each other. It’s all geared around competition. After that it’s nice to have this (HIL) environment where the pressure is a little bit less and you can talk openly. That’s what’s good about this.”
Revington remembers the day India won the quarter-final in Paris when Fulton was all pumped up.
“I’ve always had massive respect for him, as a player and a coach. When you’re in different dugouts, we both want to win. In Paris, he did well to come out on top and ended up with a medal,” said Revington, who also coached in the 2016 HIL.
“His emotion was incredibly high. (For me) it was just managing the group (British team) and getting them to move on post a big disappointment. But that’s in the past. Now, we discuss normal things.”
Cricket connection
South Africans are known to play different sports while growing up and Fulton and Revington are no different. When he gets some time off, Fulton likes to play golf, tee off with some friends. Revington likes to watch Manchester United’s games on TV.
The two also love watching cricket, having played the game in their junior days. Fulton, in fact, shared the hockey dressing room with Jonty Rhodes till the latter chose cricket, going on to become a Proteas stalwart, especially as a fielder.
“I was in the (South Africa) squad when he (Rhodes) came in, in 1996. But he had already signed a contract with Cricket South Africa. We wanted him to be available for the (1996 Atlanta) Olympics, but it wasn’t possible,” says Fulton.
“But he came to training. He was a great player and teammate. He was in the squad initially. He trained once or twice and then couldn’t because he had a (cricket) contract. But he had played a lot of provincial hockey for Natal.”
Revington coached Jonathan Trott, who went on to play cricket for England, and had played football and rugby with former Proteas opener Herschelle Gibbs.
“I coached Jonathan in hockey when he was in Cape Town, before he went to play for England. He played cricket at school, but was a very good hockey player as well. I’ve known Jonathan because our dads played hockey together. He was a few years younger than me,” said Revington, whose favourite cricketers are AB de Villiers and Kevin Pietersen.
“I’ve known him (Trott) for quite some time. He’s done incredibly well. He played for Western Province where I was coaching. He played cricket in the summer and hockey in the winter. I also played football with Herschelle. He was a great rugby player too but chose cricket at the provincial school level. He was magnificent and was wanted by Tottenham, Liverpool.”
