Shaun Edwards' return to League thrown into further doubt following post-match comments
Wales coach Shaun Edwards has not finalised his next move after the World Cup, with an agreed switch to rugby league side Wigan appearing off the table.
Wales’ defensive guru claimed his 50th career winners’ medal as player and coach as Warren Gatland’s men sealed the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam with a 25-7 victory over Ireland in Cardiff.
The 52-year-old will depart his Wales post after the autumn’s World Cup when he insisted he will be a free agent despite having previously agreed a deal with Super League side Wigan.
“On my future, my next step really is to sign a contract, I haven’t signed a contract with anybody yet,” Edwards told Press Association Sport.
“I haven’t signed a contract. The only team I’m not going to go to is Wales, because the new coach is going in a different direction.
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“He wants to do something different. So that’s where I’m at at the moment.
“So as it stands, come the end of the World Cup I’m unemployed. So that’s where I am.”
Head coach Gatland will leave Wales after the World Cup along with Edwards, with Scarlets boss Wayne Pivac taking the helm for 2020.
Edwards spent 14 years with Wigan as a player in a stunning rugby league career where he earned 36 Great Britain caps.
He agreed a deal with Wigan nine months ago, but Edwards revealed the Super League club never produced a contract for him to sign.
He could now return to Wasps, where Edwards’ previous spell as a coach – under Gatland – and then head coach returned two European Cups and four Premiership titles.
“I agreed with Wigan and thought we would sign a contract,” said Edwards.
“But then Wigan said, ‘it’s OK, we’ll sign one later’, and I thought that was unusual. And that was nine months ago.
“I agreed to go to Wigan, but I never signed a contract.
“I’ll consider all offers, league, union.
“All I can say is that I haven’t signed anything with anybody.”
Edwards hailed Wales boss Gatland for producing his best-ever coaching in claiming his third Grand Slam at the Wales helm
Gatland predicted before the tournament started that if his side won in France in round one they could pull off a Grand Slam.
That clairvoyance was vindicated in a stunning performance at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Edwards said: “Obviously I’ve worked with Warren for many, many years now, and his coaching this campaign I think has been probably the best I’ve ever seen him coach. It has been amazing.
“It was like going back to being at Wasps in the grand final weeks, when we won three grand finals on the bounce, and winning Heineken Cups.
“One of the old Waspies texted me this morning and I said it’s just like grand final week again. And obviously it ended up the same result.
“Warren’s coaching in this campaign has been absolutely unbelievable.
“We work hard behind the scenes, we train hard.
“You reap what you sow, and in those down weeks Warren in particular is amazing at leading the lads, making them push themselves through the pain barrier, in the training, in the preparation.
“And we got the rewards in the games against England and obviously today.”
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments