Edwards ‘open to job offers’ as he plans life after Wales
Defence chief wants to be head coach again I will listen to union and league, Englishman says
Shaun Edwards, the Welsh defence coach has declared he is “open to job offers” in comments that may surprise Warren Gatland – who regards the Englishman as perhaps his most trusted lieutenant – ahead of the crucial Six Nations match against Ireland.
Edwards’s comment were, to say the least, unexpected with a showdown looming that could define Wales’s Championship. The 51-yearold’s contract is up after next year’s World Cup, when Gatland is due to leave, and he is plainly ready to resume the head-coach duties at which he was so successful with Wasps. Edwards even suggested he could return to rugby league, the sport in which he made his name as one of the greats.
“Potentially, I would be open to [head coach] offers, yes,” Edwards said. “I really do enjoy being involved in international rugby. It’s where I want to be, really, so whether that is as an assistant coach or a head coach, it doesn’t really bother me. If I get an offer as a head coach in rugby league or rugby union, I will listen to it.”
Edwards was speaking at the squad’s base camp shortly before they set off for Dublin. And what started with a seemingly innocuous question about the contribution of counterpart Andy Farrell to the Irish cause, soon turned in what sounded suspiciously like Edwards reading out his CV to remind potential suitors of his undoubted qualities. His words could also cause Farrell, the Irish defence specialist, to raise an eyebrow or two.
“Andy Farrell was an outstanding player – one of the best I ever played [with Wigan and Great Britain in rugby league] and he has turned himself into an outstanding coach and has done very well with the British Lions,” Edwards said. “But I stick my record up against anybody in world rugby. The only person who has won more trophies than me is Wayne Smith, and he is an absolute legend of coaching.
“I have won 13