Appointing Sinfield is not that big a gamble
TIGERS PIONEERED RECRUITMENT OF RUGBY LEAGUE COACHES AND PLAYERS STANDPOINT
KEVIN Sinfield has arrived at Leicester Tigers to take up his role as defence coach for the club, replacing the outgoing Mike Ford who, whilst not yet announced, I suspect may be going on to bigger things as the top man at the Dallas Jackals in America’s Major League Rugby.
Wherever he ends up, all signs suggest that the parting was genuinely amicable, which is good news in terms of the retention of his talented son, fly-half George.
Sinfield OBE is a genuine legend in rugby league, as evidenced by his nickname “Sir Kev”, captain and then director of rugby for Leeds Rhinos in the Super League, he also played internationally for England and Great Britain.
His usual position was loose forward, although he played both stand-off and hooker on occasion.
Sinfield played his entire professional career with Leeds and is one of the most successful players in Super League history, having captained the team to seven Super League championships and two Challenge Cup successes.
He also earned individual accolades as winner of the Lance Todd Trophy (Challenge Cup Final man of the match) in 2005,
Harry Sunderland Trophy twice (Super
League Final man of the match) in 2009 and 2012 and the Golden Boot (voted internationally as the best player in the World) in 2012 – one of only four British-based players to win that accolade.
He also holds the record as the highest points scorer in Super
League history and is the only captain to have led a team to three consecutive Super
League titles.
He won caps for 26
England, whom he captained, and 14 caps for Great Britain and rejoined Leeds as their first ever director of rugby in July 2018.
While he expressed has a desire to get back to proper coaching, the financial straits that rugby league is in no doubt made “losing” a post at the top attractive to Leeds.
It’s often forgotten that Leicester pioneered the appointment of rugby league coaches and players to the job of union defence coach, when Dean Richards utilised the talents of Phil Larder during the glory years to such effect that he was then similarly used by England’s World Cup-winning team.
The man Sinfield is replacing, Mike Ford, also came from league as have many other coaches throughout world rugby.
So, hopefully not too much of a gamble, although starting your rugby union career at or near the top is certainly a challenge.
Hopefully one to which Sinfield will rise.