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'Suits me': The bold Gleeson ambition as new England attack coach
Martin Gleeson believes he has the vision to fire up the England attack that misfired in the Six Nations earlier this year, Eddie Jones finishing in a derisory fifth place just months after they clinched the title in Rome on points difference from France when the delayed 2020 championship was concluded.
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England scored just twelve tries in their 2021 five matches, eight fewer than tournament winners Wales, but had hardly lit up the scene with their post-2019 World Cup form as Jones’ side scored just 14 tries in that title-winning Six Nations campaign, three tries less than the French and the Irish who bagged 17 tries each.
It was January 2020 when Simon Amor joined the Jones set-up as the new England attack coach but that role was ended by mutual agreement following an RFU review of the 2021 Six Nations into what had gone wrong. This resulted in Jones searching for a new assistant and that hunt ended at the door of Wasps where Gleeson, the 41-year-old former rugby league coach and player, had done wonders in transforming their attack and helping them to reach the final of the delayed 2019/20 Premiership season.
Gleeson has now got down to work with England at their three-day mini-camp in London where 45 players were involved, a number cut to 43 due to Ben Youngs suffering a minor thigh injury when playing for Leicester while Ollie Lawrence was said to be unwell from an issue not connected to Covid.
With camp breaking up on Tuesday, Gleeson attended his first media briefing since his appointment and he was asked by RugbyPass how Jones convinced him to switch into international rugby after just a couple of years learning the coaching intricacies of the union game at Wasps. “We spoke about the direction the game is going and how the vision for England going forward and the ideas I had around that and he had around that,” he said.
Having picked him ahead of George Ford in the England pecking order, Eddie Jones now wants Marcus Smith to take some notes from the All Blacks… https://t.co/Rgyl4U2zJV
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 22, 2021
“It was a good fit for the direction the team wants to go in. It’s something that suits me down to the ground and with the calibre of players we have got here, we are hopefully at the start of a nice little journey. Our aim is to win the World Cup in two years’ time and this is the start of the path towards that. There are potentially going to be more opportunities to attack. We have got to be ready to take more opportunities when they come our way and be able to be adaptable to different situations in different teams in the way they defend, especially with the new rules coming in as well. We want a balanced game and we want to be a team that can break down all kinds of defences.
“It’s tough,” he added when asked for his impression on how the England attack was doing before his arrival. “Games are fine margins at this level. Six Nations as well, a lot of stuff went on behind the scenes, Covid and things that happened on the pitch. I don’t want to talk about what happened previously. What we have set out a vision for the England team going forward looks like the vision of the game we want to play and that is what we are focused on with the new group of players and new coaching staff.”
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Earlier in the briefing, Gleeson outlined his confidence that he can get the job done and added how welcome he was made to feel at camp in the company of Owen Farrell, his fellow Wiganer and current England skipper. “He has been great. The mix we have got between that youth and experience, the players have all mixed well and it’s nice to get a good connection going with the players – and with Owen as well. This mini-camp has been invaluable for me. It’s only a few months since I left Wasps. Being in camp this week, you just get a real feel for it and it’s thoroughly enjoyable.
“I back myself in what I do. Eddie wanted me for this job because I can get the best out of the exciting group of players he has got at the minute and today [Tuesday] was the first good day on the pitch. There really was a good synergy out there between the staff and the players.
“It [coaching with England] was something I wanted to achieve. It probably came a bit quicker than I expected but it’s something I am ready for and I have got the bit between the teeth. I had a couple of conversations with him [Jones] and then it all happened pretty quickly. I have gotten to know him a lot more in these last couple of months. He is a great person to learn from and hopefully we can have a good relationship going forward.”
"I was actually at Pennyhill Park on Tuesday. I was looking for him and I saw his wife and his little dog. We get the odd message." @SDLegion @ChrisRobshaw on Eddie Jones, life post @EnglandRugby & @Harlequins and the BaBas fiasco, writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/daJ8J1EYFn
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 16, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Exciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
11 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
11 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to comments