Rise of a natural-born coach

SHAUN EDWARDS PROFILE: GAVIN CUMMISKEYfinds out what drives the Wales defence coach

SUPPOSEDLY, THE wrath of Shaun Edwards is something to behold. The battalion of Irish Lions tourists from two years ago will concur.

“He may not be well liked by everyone but as long as he is respected who cares?” is Jonathan Davies’ opinion of the man he soldiered alongside for Britain when the great Welsh outhalf earned a living in rugby league when union was still an amateur game. “Sometimes he will talk to you, sometimes he won’t but that’s just the way he is. That doesn’t mean he is rude; just a quiet very unassuming guy who gets on with his job.”

When Scott Quinnell signed for Wigan in 1994 Edwards was the first among equals on the greatest team in British rugby history.

For those who missed this golden era, Edwards assumed something akin to the combined status achieved by Roy Keane and Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United in a remarkable period of dominance that yielded eight Challenge Cup titles in succession from 1988 to 1995.

The 1992 and 1993 seasons saw him reach the zenith of his considerable powers. He amassed an astonishingly unfussy 83 tries in 81 starts.

"Just look at his record – it is second to none," Quinnell told The Irish Timesthis week. "He demanded excellence. That it was a great side was as much down to Shaun as anyone; he was the heartbeat of Wigan when I was there."

The Keane comparison stalls at this juncture as Edwards has since made the most difficult leap of all for sportsmen by transferring a brilliant playing career into a hugely-successful coaching tenure.

A natural-born coach then who just happened to be a great player?

“Absolutely,” Quinnell agrees. “Along with our coach at Wigan, Graham West, he controlled what happened on the park. He was always just an incredibly knowledgeable guy who watched a huge amount of rugby even back then. He would then break it down for us on the field.”

It is also worth noting Edwards had completed all the rugby league coaching exams when still only 18.

In 2000 he retired, moving into rugby union coaching with Wasps within 12 months, having seen out his league career at the London Broncos mainly to be involved in the upbringing of his son, James, whose mother is Heather Small, the lead singer of 1990s pop act M People (everyone within a certain age bracket will remember Moving On Up).

Wasps were on the cusp of becoming the dominant force in the English game. They gathered three consecutive titles from 2003 to 2005, even annexing Europe’s major prize in 2004 and again in 2007.

By that stage Edwards had ascended to the head coaching position, with Ian McGeechan as director of rugby, as his partnership with Warren Gatland was momentarily severed when the New Zealander returned home in 2005.

Gatland’s return as Wales head coach after the last World Cup saw the eventual recruitment of Edwards in an arrangement that allowed him continue his day job with Wasps.

“He spoke to me before he took the job with Wales,” said Davies. “He just picked my brains because he wanted to know what would be involved. One thing about Shaun, he is a very hard-nosed guy.

“He has had a very tough upbringing and I think, more than anything, he brought a mental toughness to the Welsh national side that is lacking in the regional sides.

“He always played in a very, very good side so he learned the trade from the best in league; the determination, work ethic. A tough school where you had to work hard to get into the side and work harder to stay there.

“Wigan were on a winning streak and he looked like he enjoyed what he did – I still think he enjoys what he does but just doesn’t show it.”

The Grand Slam was captured in the first season as Welsh defence coach, ensuring Edwards the coach was competing with Edwards the player in terms of achievement.

McGeechan wanted the Welsh (and former Wasps) ticket alongside him in the trenches of South Africa on the 2009 Lions tour – in what ultimately was a stain on this exemplary coaching docket.

Largely credited with introducing the “blitz” defensive system to Northern Hemisphere rugby union, he studied the ways of Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos, while delving into NFL techniques but you imagine he would adopt the intricacies of tiddlywinks if it assisted his life-long pursuit of excellence.

“I think it is his desire to win, desire to understand and to always learn that makes him such a good coach,” says Quinnell. “He was coaching on the rugby field when still a player. I can see that now. He put the fear of God into everyone on the pitch – opponents and team-mates. He is not the biggest of blokes but the wrath of Shaun was something to behold.”

The double jobbing continues to be supported by Wales and Wasps despite the decline in both teams’ fortunes these past three seasons.

The departure of Wasps’ director of rugby Tony Hanks last month caused a moment of consternation as Edwards was poised to switch his primary focus to the Six Nations. Currently lying eighth in the Aviva Premiership and failure to even threaten to make it out of Toulouse’s Heineken Cup Pool suggests storm clouds may yet revisit the cash-strapped London club.

“They are both tough jobs but Shaun expects a lot of himself and the people who work with him,” said Davies. “He has lived with success all his career. No one likes defeat but Shaun has had tragedy in his life as well.”

Religion has played an increased role too; initially influenced by his father Jack’s crippling spinal injury when playing for Warrington aged just 24. Then, in 2003, his 20-year-old brother Billy Joe was killed in a car crash along with fellow Wigan player Craig Johnson.

“I’ve become more of a believer recently – I lost my 20-year-old brother in a car crash which was very painful and hard to make sense of,” Edwards told Life4Seekers magazine in 2008. “Every situation thrown at you provides an opportunity to make you a better person. Being Catholic is not easy by a long shot; it can be hard to make sense of it. The gift of my faith has been a real help to my career in sport and in life generally.

“I don’t profess to be an angel; I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and will make a lot in the future, but I think that most religions are, at the core, about sharing. Certainly Christianity is about putting others before yourself and this is an important part of being a team member on the sports field – you need to think of the good of the team and not just your own gain.”

Both Davies and Quinnell easily grasp at Edwards memories from their league days.

“I remember before going out at Wembley to play Australia, he spoke to everybody about how long a walk it is,” said Davies. “‘It is a great place to come but stay focused,’ Shaun said. ‘You can wave at your family and friends after you have won the game.’ He was shouting this all the way out on that long walk.”

Quinnell says that Edwards lacks the instinct to favour certain players.

“Shaun is not frightened to tell an experienced player what they’re doing wrong.

“He used to pass the ball as hard whether you were three yards or 30 yards away. One time the ball slipped out of my hand and I said, ‘Ah, Shaun . . .’ but he replied, ‘My job is to pass it, your job is to catch it!’ Players respect someone who tells it to them straight.”

Shaun Edwards Factfile

Age: 44

Born: Wigan

Playing honours:
Wigan (1983-97)467 appearances (274 tries) 37 major medals

*Also played for London Broncos and Bradford Bulls – retired 2000.

Great Britain (1985-97)36 caps (16 tries)

*Also represented Ireland.

Coaching honours:

Wasps (2001-05, assistant coach; 2005-present, head coach)

Premiership titles – 2003, 04, 05.

Heineken Cups – 2004, 07.

European Challenge Cup – 2003.

Anglo-Welsh Cup – 2006.

Wales – (2008 – present, assistant coach)

Grand Slam - 2008

Lions – 2009 tour of South Africa (lost series 2-1)

Shaun Edwards on . . .

On Religion:"One of the greatest sayings that I have heard was that you have to be prepared to suffer. I think it's the same with any walk of life. Nothing comes easily. No pain, no gain, and that is certainly the case in rugby. If you're not prepared to put in the hard work, to go through the pain and suffering, both mental and physical, you probably won't make it. Jesus suffered on the cross in his life and that's a reality that inspired and helped me in the good times and the bad."

On coaching:"I probably spend more time talking to (video analyst) Adam Grainger at Wasps and Rhys Long at Wales then anyone else. I probably speak to them four or five times a day, because you need to look at team formations and the real technical aspects of the game."

On Brian O'Driscoll:"He has 107 caps, one Grand Slam and four Triple Crowns with Ireland, a Heineken Cup with Leinster, but it's not until you work with the man that you realise just how good he is."