Ex-boss on why 'high IQ' Byron McGuigan makes sense for England

Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson believes Byron McGuigan can help England shut down opposition attacks by using his “very high game IQ”, starting with the Autumn international series opener against Australia at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on November 1.

McGuigan made a significant impact as England’s stand-in defence coach on the unbeaten summer tour to Argentina and the USA, and now head coach Steve Borthwick has drafted the former Scotland wing, who is Sale’s defence coach, into his management team for the Autumn Tests and the Six Nations Championship.

Sanderson is adamant that what McGuigan will learn from his England involvement will make him an even better coach when he returns to the club between international commitments. McGuigan is going to work alongside England assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge on the collision area and will, crucially, focus on the back three to help enhance their skills and tactical understanding.

Sanderson said: “He (McGuigan) has the ability to inspire, is a good communicator and has very high game IQ in terms of how you defend in the wide channels and the backfield because of his playing experience at international level.

“He is a player — I say he is a player, he’s a coach — he’s a coach who is so recently removed from playing, he is able to tap into the emotional cues of the players, to read the players, to be able to inspire intent from the players because it has only been a couple of years since he was at the coalface himself.

“The players want to physically put their bodies on the line and that’s probably the most important aspect of being a defence coach. Layered onto that is that he was, by his own admission, never the fastest winger, so he had game intelligence and his positioning in the wider channels had to be absolutely spot on. He’s excellent around what shape looks like from your fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh defender out, and you close in the backfield.

“That’s his point of difference in terms of his rugby IQ. A lot of people can get in your face around the middle, but his ability to shut off attacks which can play wide, wide, like Bristol, who are a good example. We have had some of our best performances against them. To make the pitch feel small through intensity in the middle and real understanding and clarity of positioning in those wider channels — that’s what he is bringing to the England team.

“He really, really cares and his meeting (with the Sale squad this week) was pretty tough but it was one born from care, like a place of love. He was like, ‘I love you boys, I want you do this, be great and play for England and this is why I am showing you these things and I need your feedback about whether that is acceptable or not’.

“It was that kind of meeting. It is difficult to do that unless you have got the players there and they know what you are saying is authentic. He has rapport, the ability to inspire, good communicator and very high game IQ in terms of how you defend in the wide channels and the backfield because of his playing experience at international level.”