‘Edwards was quick to put you in your place’
Martyn Williams tells Ben Coles why outgoing defence coach will be sorely missed by Wales
As a dozen years of service with Wales draw to a close for Shaun Edwards, his next move is a fascinating one – tasked with adding some clarity and quality to France’s defence. Edwards, of course, has one more accolade to accomplish beforehand with Wales, winning the World Cup for the first time, a process that starts on Monday against Georgia in Toyota.
But the idea of Edwards – a man never shy to voice his opinions – attempting to bang France into shape come the spring has naturally led to a few wry smiles. There is also an awareness that if anyone is going to be able to put France on the right track, then it is the man still regarded as the world’s finest defence coach.
“They will definitely have a culture shock, as we did when Shaun arrived,” notes Martyn Williams, the former Wales flanker.
Williams retired after the 2007 World Cup, but was coaxed back into Test rugby in time for the 2008 Six Nations, when he first had a taste of Edwards’s style.
“You were put in your place. After we defeated England at Twickenham, on Monday morning he ripped me to shreds because I had made a mistake on one kick-chase,” Williams recalls.
“But that’s a good thing. Subconsciously when you’re out on the field, you know he is going to pick up on anything. He has you on edge. The defence has been the backbone of Wales’s success over the last decade.”
Edwards might be famous for those vocal lashings, but that should not distract from his work-rate. Wales conceded just seven tries in this year’s Six Nations and were the only team to concede fewer than 100 points, with 65. Only New Zealand, England and Ireland have conceded fewer tries since Edwards came on board in 2008.
“I hope Warren takes Shaun on the Lions tour to South Africa in 2021. I have worked with both Shaun and also Andy Farrell on the Lions tour in 2013, and I think Shaun is the better defence Liam Williams says Wales are using video games as a distraction from the controversy of Rob Howley’s departure from camp for an alleged betting breach. “We’ve been playing Call of Duty,” said Williams. “It’s me, Gareth Davies and Josh Adams. Justin Tipuric is online too, but he plays Fifa.
“We are in our own little bubble here and what happens outside of that doesn’t involve us.”
coach,” claims Adam Beard, Wales’s head of physical performance for six years, now working in the United States with baseball’s Chicago Cubs.
“Shaun has that aura about him. Because of his success at Wigan, especially given the time when he grew up, everyone is in awe of him. I realised very early: this man has grown up on the team bus. He is almost like a young rock star growing up on tour, playing for the Wigan first team at 17. I haven’t seen his bite, but I wouldn’t like to.”
Edwards’s impact was instant at the start of the Gatland era, when Wales clinching a Grand Slam in the 2008 Six Nations only a few months after crashing out of the World Cup against Fiji. Communication with Edwards is always to the point: Straightforward messages, with immediate results.
“He does not overburden you with loads of different ideas, just two or three key points. I remember when he first came in, France had a huge back line, so the directive was two tacklers, one low, one high to stop the offload,” explains Williams.
“Going back to the 2011 World Cup and that first game against South Africa, being part of that camp, we regularly practised the chop tackle. There might only be a few points, very specific, but you have seen how that defence has become Wales’s strength.
“Obviously, he has this persona of being this angry man who runs around and scares the life out of everybody, and there is an element of that. But he studies the game and the opposition as much as anybody I’ve seen. His attention to detail is phenomenal.
“I wish I had met him when I was 22, not 32,” Williams admits. “I would have been a hell of a better player.”