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'There is only one man for the job and it's 'f**kin' smash 'em'
Ex-England out-half Andy Goode and his fellow Rugby Pod co-host Jim Hamilton, the ex-Scotland lock, have outlined their dissatisfaction that the latest comments from RFU CEO Bill Sweeney have effectively ruled out Shaun Edwards from succeeding Eddie Jones as the England coach. The Australian is due to step away at the end of France 2023 but rather than have an open race regarding a successor, the RFU boss has claimed they want an Englishman working under Jones at the upcoming finals before taking over.
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With Edwards committed to his four-year deal as the French defence coach through to the end of the 2023 finals, Goode and Hamilton reckon that the serial Six Nations winner – previously with Wales and now with France – won’t be considered for the England head coach job as they believe the role is being lined up for Leicester boss Steve Borthwick.
He worked as a Japan and England assistant under Jones before stepping up to take over at Tigers in summer 2020 and his contract will conveniently expire a few months before the World Cup in France, providing him with the opportunity to step back into the England fold for France 2023 and then take over as head coach when Jones finishes after the finals.
It’s a scenario that doesn’t sit well with either Goode and Hamilton and they tore the RFU plan to shreds on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod. “I’ll tell you what is going to happen,” said a frustrated Goode. “They have got an Englishman that can coach under Eddie Jones that will be available before the World Cup, Steve Borthwick is literally the only person.
“There is a reason Steve Borthwick left England to go and get head coaching experience and that was to take over from Eddie Jones. Now if you go after the biggest coaches in the world, who would England want as their head coach? It should be who is the best coach in the world. We are the biggest union so let’s go and get the best coach in the world.
This week we’re joined by an ACTUAL Scottish second row legend, Emma Wassell, who talks playing 53 consecutive games and the inspiring story behind why she got involved in the game.
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“Be that Scott Robertson from New Zealand, be that Shaun Edwards, be that Warren Gatland, be that any name you want to chuck out there. But basically what you are saying is he has got to be English. I’m patriotic and I’m happy they are going down that route but if he is the sixth-best coach, whoever this English person is in the world, why aren’t we going after the best?
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“Like, Shaun Edwards is an ultimate Englishman. He has openly said he likes long-term employment – he ain’t coming to England before the World Cup. He has got a contract with France so you have basically said now, ‘We don’t want Shaun Edwards’. For me, it’s a ridiculous statement and it’s really bad PR because they are saying whoever comes in is going to be English, he is going to work under Eddie Jones – no one wants to work under Eddie Jones really and any good coach worth their salt is going to be under contract.
“So the only thing I can think of is Steve Borthwick gets to the end of his coaching contract at Leicester at the end of the 2023 season, so you are talking June next year, and he can then work under Eddie Jones. It’s flabbergasting for me, the leadership, and they are talking about ‘we have got this war room with every coach’. Name me some English coaches that can take the job?
“Rob Baxter being one. Obviously, Steve Borthwick being another. Do they promote from within? Richard Cockerill. The leadership and the decision making around that, it basically says Eddie Jones is naming his successor. It shouldn’t have anything to do with Eddie Jones. It should be like, ‘here is our plan, Eddie is going to the World Cup and we will make noises in the background about who we want and we are going to go after them’.
“You can get people to sign a pre-contract, so you can go and get a Shaun Edwards, but he will start after the World Cup… but it is just ridiculous what they have done. To say he is going to be working with Eddie at the 2023 World Cup, someone mentioned that France did it with Fabien Galthie at the last World Cup.
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“Well, all the players are like. ‘who do we listen to? Do we listen to the coach now, the coach next to you?’ It is a crazy situation and again very bad management by Bill Sweeney as CEO of the RFU.”
Hamilton agreed: “Galthie got sacked as well from Toulon and Montpellier so that is why he had the time because that is the point, that really any decent coach is under contract good and proper and out of all of them, I know Borthwick has been thrown about, he has done a fantastic job with Leicester, they are top of the league so the proof is in the pudding.
“I’d be not flabbergasted but I’d be gutted for Leicester if they lost him that quickly and it is a big risk for him as well as such a young coach because any international coach – unless you win a World Cup it doesn’t end well, especially if you are England coach. Tell me which one has ended well? Well, it hasn’t.
“There is only one man for the job and it’s ‘fuckin’ smash ’em’. There is no better man to take the reins in terms of experience, in terms of energy, in terms of the public. Not one person English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, German has batted an eyelid. Everyone knows that he is the right man. If you are talking English, he is the right man for the job. I cannot think of anyone else. Gatland is getting thrown about. Well, it’s a stop-gap until he gets the All Blacks. Scott Roberston is the same. He wants to coach the All Blacks and I’m sure he is on their list… There is no other man. Shaun Edwards, it’s not even up for debate.”
Goode then rounded off the discussion. “By them saying what they have said, they are not getting Shaun Edwards unless they are spending a ridiculous amount of money to get him out of his France contract. We had Shaun Edwards on the Pod the other week and he is embedded into that France outfit as a coach, he signed a four-year contract so the French rugby union they ain’t going to let him go before the World Cup.
“It’s their big showpiece in their own backyard so you are not getting Shaun Edwards. You can cross him off the list. Honestly, I’m just amazed at the rhetoric that has come out and it seems to be so reactive to the negativeness around the PR disaster of the statement they put out the week before about the ‘solid progress that England have made’.
“If they had just said ‘we are focused on the next World Cup, we are working in the background, we are looking at names, we have got a long list’ but by committing to having someone in the coaching team at the 2023 World Cup who is going to take over from Eddie Jones you are massively decreasing the pool of people 18 months out from whenever this new person is going to take over. It’s just ridiculous leadership.”
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments