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Seibold's eye-opening 2018 meeting at Saracens with Owen Farrell
Funny how it all turns out. Anthony Seibold pitched up for his first media session as an England assistant this week and he spent ample time talking about the lasting first impression Owen Farrell had on him when he first came across Eddie Jones’ national team skipper during a visit to Saracens in 2018. At the time Seibold was an in-demand NRL coach striving to do even better than he had done in that year’s Australian league with South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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He reckoned a reconnaissance trip to the UK to check out the mechanics powering some rugby union teams would be just the treat. Little could he have imagined, though, that just three years later he would be working alongside Farrell with England rather than listening to the talisman in a Saracens meeting room and being impressed by what he heard.
It was the previous year – 2017 – when Seibold, the new England defence coach, first struck up a rapport with Jones who paid a visit to the coach’s NRL club. They kept in touch and Jones’ England was one of the stopping points during a wide-ranging UK trip that preceded his switch to the Brisbane Broncos.
“I did a tour here in 2018, that was the end of the season when I was coaching South Sydney Rabbitohs so I visited Eddie here at Pennyhill Park, I visited Wales, I spoke to the regional coaches there. I spent some time with Gregor (Townsend) up in Scotland and also had time at Saracens,” explained Seibold about his travels three years ago.
“I was really impressed with what I saw there. Alex Sanderson, the (current) Sale coach, was the defence coach there, so I got to listen to him in the meetings and one thing I walked away with was the leadership and the way that Owen spoke in meetings really resonated with me. I fall back to some of the key senior players I have coached over my time – I just thought the way he spoke was very clear with regards to what he wanted and he certainly supported what the coaches wanted there.”
It was just last week when Eddie Jones told RugbyPass that England winger Jonny May was the most professional player he has ever encountered – now the player has his say… #England #ENGvAUS #AutumnNationsSeries #Wallabieshttps://t.co/wy1fFLTJZc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 9, 2021
Asked which rugby league characters Farrell had reminded him of, England newcomer Seibold continued: “Guys like Cameron Smith and Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, John Sutton, the guys who have a real presence in the team meeting room or the locker room. They have the ability to not only lead with their actions but also coach their peers in team meetings. So just when I walked away and made some notes on what I saw at Saracens, that was one of the big things that I wrote down, just the way that he [Farrell] spoke, it was very clear. The coaches had some good clarity in their meetings when I was there and Owen gave great clarity to the players in the room and I have seen that here (with England).
“That was what I was elaborating on, the players who have a key presence in the meeting room and I saw that a couple of years ago (with Owen) and we still see that. The good thing is I have seen that from a number of the players here. There are some leaders from the different clubs and peer to peer coaching is really crucial when you want to drive high standards and you want to improve as a group collectively and individually.”
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Before getting into the trenches with England for this Autumn Nations Series featuring matches versus Tonga, Australia and South Africa, Seibold ensured he caught up with captain Farrell to get an insight into how the defence was done at Test level under Jones.
“Before we came into camp I contacted Owen and had a Zoom catch up and a bit of a chat about defence and the areas that he is saying they might have done well over the last couple of seasons and some areas we can be better with. He is a real leader with our D, him along with Courtney Lawes and Jonny May on the wing, they are three guys who have seen a real impact on the D, so I has a really good opportunity a few years ago and he was great to see up close and now working with him I see his appetite to be a leader and I have enjoyed the last few weeks.”
Switching to his defensive coaching philosophy, Seibold explained that it wasn’t the build of the player wearing the No10 jersey for England that was most important. Instead, attitude was the priority. “What we have done is we have trained players in multiple positions,” he revealed. “Going forward this doesn’t necessarily mean that Owen’s best position is ten or it is twelve. He is capable of playing both and played both previously.
“What I like in a ten doesn’t matter, it doesn’t really matter for me as long as they communicate and have the attitude to get their body in front. They are the two big things and I like what Owen brings in that area of the game but I also like what (George) Furbank did on the weekend. Marcus Smith as well, he has improved that part of his game. We have got some guys who can wear the No10 who are really capable defenders as well.
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“One of the things I have seen with Marcus is he is willing to get his body in front. It doesn’t matter how big you are, how small you are, it is an attitude and he brings that attitude. He always wants to get better. Since I have been here he is always talking about doing extras after training and he is very consistent with regards to looking at his defensive clips, so he sees that as an area of his game that is really important.
“Rugby is a game where there are always contests. One of the contests in the game is the defensive contest and Marcus brings a willingness to get his body in front. Owen does as well and I couldn’t have been more impressed with Furbank as well on the weekend. We are working really hard on that part of our game. I am not biased towards bigger players or smaller players, it’s an attitude.”
'It was the hardest decision I had to make in my professional career so far.' @brad_shields talks to @heagneyl ??? about @WaspsRugby , buses, New Zealand and why he hasn't given up on returning to the England fold #Wasps #EnglandRugby https://t.co/47sEZfI0Ho
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 7, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Proctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
4 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
4 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to comments