I’m good enough to join Gatland’s line-up - Ryan
BEN RYAN says he would relish the opportunity to join the Lions backroom staff after being touted as a potential addition to Warren Gatland’s team in the guise of a second backs or attack coach.
Gatland, with the triumvirate of Andy Farrell, Steve Borthwick and Rob Howley unveiled as his assistants, is set to add further reinforcements in the coming months.
Ryan, 45, the gold medal-winning coach of Fiji at the Rio Olympics, is chomping at the bit to be involved but admits it is a long shot.
Speaking to The Rugby Paper during the two-day Cape Town Sevens event, which England claimed after defeating hosts South Africa 19-17 in the final, Ryan said: “My agent has spoken to Warren and I think his reservations are that he hasn’t seen me coach 15s.
“The same thing happened before I got my break in Sevens. The commonly used line was: ‘We like him but he hasn’t coached Sevens before.’ Then I was given a chance with the England team and the rest is history, I guess.”
Ryan, 45, left his post with Fiji after the Olympics and aims to take up a position within a team in the next few months.
“At the end of the day, Warren has a very strong mind and he will pick the best people. I doubt whether that will include me but we will see.
“I think I am good enough to go into the Lions set-up. My background is in the 15-man game and I am actually a better 15s than 7s coach.
“I’m hoping that I can have a chat with Warren and remind him of what I can bring.
“My coaching philosophy is to keep things simple and empower players. I know my mind and I’m adamant that coaches should be in the shadows and players in the light. And my end goal as a coach is to make myself redundant.
“Everything else works backwards from there. It means that the players have to work things out for themselves on the field and you have to empower and trust them. When the players are operating like that it takes the team to a higher level.”