Shaun Edwards

Shaun Edwards (born 17 October 1966) is an English rugby union coach and former rugby league footballer, who is the defence coach for the France national team. Quotes I wouldn’t be able to have a long conversation, but I’ve got all the rugby words. I’ve always had the belief that 15 minutes of practice is worth an hour of talking and if I’m honest even when I coach in English I only use three or four words at a time.The trick,to say ’em loud. We must have the youngest team ever in the history of the Six Nations, we must have an average age of 23 or 24, You normally have at least a few 30-somethings but we’ve gone the way of youth. Let’s hope they’re young and good. It is all a bit like it was when I first went to Wales, the various drills you do, the emphasis on the tackle area, on line speed, various tactical traits which I know have worked in the past, they’re things we’re trying to install in the French now. This is a little bit self-pitying but there are so many points being scored at the moment. Just look at England’s attack last year. I don’t want to slag Wigan off but it’s important to explain because I’ve had a lot of criticism and people don’t know the real reason, I agreed to go to Wigan but I didn’t get a contract to sign and over time I realised I had no control over the club. I’d spoken to him, promised him a job, and four months after our first conversation the club still hadn’t rung him up. Then I found out they had sold George Williams, who was going to be a marquee player for the following season. I didn’t find it out from the club, I found it out from a newspaper. I can accept you don’t have total control of everything but you would expect to have some control over your staff, and over the comings and goings of the players. You’d expect some of that, wouldn’t you? The people there were so good to me and gave me so much support, which was something I’d never really had in my career before. The fans gave you nothing but encouragement and some of the relationships I made there go well beyond the game. we were never able to give them that ultimate game, the World Cup final. I’m sure one or two people in the WRU had no idea I’d even been a head coach, or that I’d won a Heineken Cup as a head coach with Wasps in 2007.Three trophies in five years, it’s not a bad record is it? It ended up being the right choice, because I think England have been through five sets of coaching staff since then and I’ve only ever had two jobs, 10 years at Wasps, 12 years with Wales. Anyone who says they don’t get emotional for the Six Nations must have something wrong with them. It’s just an amazing competition and it’s one I love to be involved in. It’s my favourite by a distance, because I love that feeling of the whole country stopping to watch rugby. I’m addicted to the big games. I was thinking the other day, all the games I was involved in last year, the average crowd must have been about 65,000. Where do you go after that? Where can you get that buzz anywhere else? Shaun Edwards: ‘I sensed France really wanted me. That’s why I went’, November 13 2019 External Links Category:1966 births Category:Rugby league players Category:Rugby union coaches