Evergreen Wig eyes European success
RICHARD Wigglesworth is targeting a remarkable Champions Cup triumph after finalising a short-term contract extension with Saracens.
Evergreen scrum-half Wigglesworth, 37, had been tipped to move into coaching but has put that on hold and will consider extending his 18-year pro career beyond this campaign.
The former England pivot told The Rugby Paper:
“I’ve extended with Saracens for four months until October and I feel great. In the position I play in I’ve been well looked after and attitude is everything – I certainly don’t feel ready to give up at the moment.
“I’ve got coaching ambitions but don’t want to be rushed into that decision or force it. I still feel like I could contribute as a player over the next year or two.
“The main thing was that I wanted to see out the season for Saracens properly and then I can make a considered decision about what I do next.”
Saracens face relegation to the Championship and have lost players, but Wigglesworth believes they still have a squad to do damage in Europe.
He added: “It’s sad to see lads go but we just want to get playing again now and we believe we’ll be very competitive. Like all top performers, guys like Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje just want to get better and, if it’s possible, they seem hungrier than they already were.
“They’ll be ready to go and speaking to the lads I’m close to, there’s a European game pencilled in against Leinster and we’ll have a decent team for that.
“We can have a real crack against one of the best teams around and with the personalities involved at our club, it’s a game to really get them going.
“Winning the Champions Cup would be incredible. It’s one thing dreaming about it and another thing actually making it happen, but it will become a target.”
Having spent the last two seasons as a part-time attack coach at Ealing Trailfinders, Wigglesworth is unsure whether that arrangement can continue.
With Saracens and Ealing set to go head-tohead in the Championship and the former Sale No.9 yet to rule out staying at Sarries, there may be a conflict of interest.
Wigglesworth explained: “It’s up in the air because of the situation at Saracens and what I’m going to do after October. There’s a keenness on both sides for something to happen because I liked it at Ealing, but we’ll have to see.
“They’ve a great group of lads at Ealing, a good coaching group and (director of rugby) Ben Ward gave me an opportunity. We’ll just have to wait on the future and whether I can go back there and contribute again, but it was a good experience.
“I do think I’ll play on and I want to be somewhere where I can contribute and learn and then see how things look further down the line. I’m pretty relaxed about that at the moment and as long as I’m obsessed about the game, I’ll keep cracking on.”
While ring-fencing talk is rife, Wigglesworth’s Ealing experiences mean he has no truck with those among the elite who dismiss the west London upstarts.
He believes their ambitions should be embraced, adding: “Ealing have got good facilities and are really well backed, so they’re better off than most.
“People look at their ground and crowds and that’s a challenge for them down the line, but you don’t want to close things off or be snobbish about what they are because Saracens started off from humble beginnings before Nigel Wray took over.
“They went from nothing to being the best of the best for a long time, so I don’t see why anyone should look down at what Ealing are doing. They’re trying to progress a team to heights it’s not been before.
“You should embrace those sorts of people; anyone who puts money into rugby and is passionate about it can only be a good thing for the game.”