‘I’m with you guys’: Shaun Edwards fully focused on Red Roses despite Argentina move

England’s Red Roses have praised Shaun Edwards’ commitment to the side despite his impending move to coach Argentina’s men.

Last week, it was confirmed that the experienced coach will join Argentina as their defence coach in November, following the end of his consultancy role with England’s women at the end of October. He will work alongside former Los Pumas head coach Mario Ledesma, who has been appointed forwards coach, in Felipe Contepomi’s staff.

There had previously been speculation that the 59-year-old could join Steve Borthwick’s England men, particularly after it was confirmed that current defence coach Joe El-Abd will leave the international set-up after Rugby World Cup 2027 to become Clermont’s director of rugby in the Top 14.

Edwards joined John Mitchell’s Red Roses coaching staff in September on a consultancy basis and is currently in Canada with the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 champions ahead of fixtures against Canada and the USA.

Ahead of England’s upcoming WXV Global Series fixtures, wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald revealed that Edwards had refused to discuss his next move when she questioned him about Argentina.

“Yeah, I actually did try to ask him at dinner the other night,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, so, go on, what’s happening? Are you excited about going to Argentina?’

“He wouldn’t even answer me. He was having absolutely none of it. He was like, ‘I’m not with Argentina. I’m with you guys.’

“Like, head fully in Red Roses, fully committed to us. Wouldn’t even engage in a conversation about Argentina.

“So I think that’s quite indicative of his commitment to being where his feet are now, which is with us, focused on the next couple of games and seeing what we can achieve.”

Although Edwards has spent less than a month with the Red Roses, his influence has already been felt. Players and coaches have praised his presence in camp and his communication, while England’s 26-19 victory over New Zealand offered an insight of his defensive influence.

“I think Shaun’s come in and been absolutely incredible for us, and he’s brought so much in terms of mindset and energy,” Lilli Ives Campion, England lock, said. “And I think that, him as a coach, he’s still got so much left to give to the game.

“He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and that’s absolutely fine. I think that we’re just with him in this moment now, and enjoying what he has as a coaching experience and bringing that into our game. I think that is all that we can ask for.”

The Red Roses face a challenging October, with two matches against Canada followed by a meeting with the USA at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey.

Canada ended England’s 38-game winning run with a 26-26 draw at Exeter’s Sandy Park, setting up another intriguing contest between the sides. The Toronto clash will set a new North American attendance record for a standalone women’s rugby match.

The USA will provide another significant test. In September, Jack Hanratty’s Eagles defeated both Ireland and Wales, results that lifted them two places to sixth in the World Rugby rankings.

England will be looking to extend their unbeaten record across the three fixtures, while Edwards remains focused on the job at hand.

As Ives Campion recalled: “He said, ‘I have a job to do here first.’

“He’s very committed. Very professional.”