1
'You want a nutcase as defence coach... and that is Mike all over'
“He is more Chuck Norris than Robert Redford, but we also used to call him Catweazle.” That was the considered verdict of Steve Diamond when encapsulating Mike Forshaw, the assistant coach that Warren Gatland has recruited to shore up the leaky Wales defence for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was Diamond who gave Forshaw his chance to take charge of a Gallagher Premiership club defence, bringing him to Sale in 2013, and the Sharks former director of rugby is absolutely convinced the ex-Britain rugby league star will, like another Wigan great Shaun Edwards, be a success at international level coaching.
For Diamond, who moved from Sale to take over at Worcester Warriors before they ended up in administration last year, Forshaw has both the personality and the expertise to handle the pressure despite having limited time with the Welsh players before their February 4 opener at home to Ireland. That limited preparation will contrast sharply with the daily sessions that have underpinned Sale’s emergence as one of the powerhouses of English rugby.
Diamond told RugbyPass: “Mike was highly recommended to me around 2010 but he was in contract and when we met I liked him immediately. While he is more Chuck Norris than Robert Redford, we used to call him Catweazle and what people don’t remember is that Mike had a season at Saracens at the end of his playing career.
“He comes from that Wigan rugby league family of Shaun Edwards, Andy Farrell, Jason Robinson and Paul Deacon (who is also at Sale), but he also played a lot for Bradford and was a great player. More importantly, I can tell you what a great bloke he is.
“As a defence coach, a lot is about personality along with the technical side. You have to believe in the guy who is teaching you defence and really, you want a nutcase as defence coach, someone who is off the wall, and that is Mike all over. As a bloke, he would be at your right hand. At Mike’s age, this is the right time to take this role because, in another World Cup cycle, he would be around 58.
“He has done a great job at Sale and I’m really pleased for him. He is going to be working with Warren Gatland, who worked for a long time with Shaun Edwards. Mike brings his own personality and is a really funny bloke but some of the time he doesn’t realise it and his humour in his presentations is fantastic. He is unique and they only made one when they produced Mike Forshaw – then they broke the mould.”
ADVERTISEMENT
So what can Wales fans expect from a defence under the control of Forshaw? “They will be well drilled and know the system which Mike will work out with the other coaches,” continued Diamond. “He will always ask the players questions and listen to those responses – and we did have some rough spells under my Sale reign.
“He is now going to a fantastic international set up and as better players come in you become even better at the job. Mike will become an even better defence coach in this role. I don’t think many people knew Shaun when he first went to Wales and, in Wigan, Mike comes from a very similar environment to south Wales: hard-working blokes who love rugby.
“In recent weeks Alex Sanderson (the current Sale director of rugby) has given Mike some opportunities to speak on the TV and there is always a funny quip. Behind the scenes, Mike is bloody hilarious. What Mike learnt very quickly in union is don’t get into the fight unless you are going to win it as a defence, stay on your feet and then go. With Ben and Tom Curry in the team that is how Sale defend.”
Forshaw is also said to be happy to deliver a half-time rollicking if he feels his team isn’t living up to his expectations, although when he tried to galvanise the Sale troops when they were losing heavily at the break at Saracens he didn’t have the impact that was planned.
ADVERTISEMENT
Diamond added: “He had this piece of paper with all the mistakes on it and decided to screw it up and throw it down in front of the guys in the changing room but as he did that it opened up and gently floated to the floor.
“So he decided to rollick them but he chews gum and as he started it went down the wrong wa. The next thing is he is on his knees with us hitting him on the back. He is a legend and will be speaking Welsh before the Six Nations starts!”
Former Sale skipper Jono Ross worked with Forshaw for nearly six years in Manchester. He is also backing the defence coach to be a big success with Wales. “He is a big personality and his meeting are always entertaining,“ said Ross, the Sharks back-rower who continues to be one of the Premiership’s top defenders.
“He always put smiles on faces and will be massively missed at Sale. He is demanding in terms of what he expects in terms of energy and aggression in his defensive system while keeping you interested with his quirky comments. He has done an incredible job at Sale
“At international level, there are fewer games and the margins are finer but the energy and passion he brings to the job will go down really well with the Welsh. He will definitely get them up and buying into what he does. I have no doubt he will be a success.
“Defences are becoming similar around the world and Mike wants physicality and people to be dominating contact and he expects work rate. We have an aggressive defence at Sale and Wales will be similar. He is a man you want to follow. In terms of his looks he has to be more Chuck Norris.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting 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.
13 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.
4 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?
4 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!
4 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.
13 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 comments