Andy Farrell, Shaun Edwards and Kevin Sinfield sounds like the spine of an all-star rugby league team but the reality is that one of them could soon end up lifting rugby union’s most prestigious prize. And the Ireland head coach, France defence coach and England’s defensive mastermind are not the only cross-code converts thriving having switched to union.
The career of Wales’s defence coach, Mike Forshaw, was forged in the league strongholds of Wigan and Bradford. Eddie Jones’s Australia staff at the Rugby World Cup includes the former Super League players Brett Hodgson and Jon Clarke. Meanwhile the Premiership is awash with league coaches wanting to build a career in the 15-player game.
The groundwork for this trend was laid more than 25 years ago by one man. Phil Larder coached both England and Great Britain in league before his life changed in 1997 when he was asked to join Clive Woodward’s England staff.
It was an unprecedented move but as union turned professional, Larder was tasked with implementing league techniques to revolutionise England’s defence.
“I found it confusing initially, and I said to Clive that I couldn’t throw drills in at Test level until I got to try them at a club side,” Larder says. He settled at Leicester Tigers in 1998 and is credited with a pivotal role in their success in both the Premiership and in Europe. Suddenly, league had something to offer union.
“It probably did open the floodgates a little, and it made the players and directors appreciate people could switch codes and have an impact,” Larder says.
“I remember there was a book written about what happened at Leicester and Neil Back and Jonno [Martin Johnson] were upset my name wasn’t mentioned. That success probably was significant for what you see today.”
Larder was the trailblazer for today’s influx of league icons, with the headline act undoubtedly Ireland’s Farrell. While many, such as Sinfield and Edwards, are employed as defensive coaches, Farrell broke the mould having been hired as a head coach, burdened with an entire nation’s hopes and the results have been impressive.
“Andy was a groundbreaking loose-forward in league, he wanted to get involved with playing the ball and attacking, he was the original ball-playing forward,” the Northampton defence coach, Lee Radford, himself a former England international in league, says. “Naturally, he’ll want to deliver that style and approach into his teams and I think you can see that. His personality and roots shine through.”
Larder agrees. “Aspects of league are still superior in terms of skill but if you watch Andy’s teams, the influence he’s had with Ireland, it’s remarkable,” he says.
“Look at the way they create numbers against defences that are well organised. That’s what rugby league players have to do every day. He’s really driving things forward in terms of a new approach and style.”
Edwards, too, has become a renowned union coach, with France’s defence the latest to benefit from his insight after a successful spell with Wales.
Many credit the Wigan and Great Britain legend as an influence. “Guys like Shaun were trailblazers, and with them doing well it’s inspired a whole new generation to have a go,” Radford says.
“The way Shaun organises France’s defence, every rugby league coach has to think like that – so there’s plenty that have something to offer.”
Larder, Farrell and Edwards paved the way for not only more to follow in recent years, but a change in tactics that helped further nudge the floodgates open for league coaches keen to try their hand in union. “The set piece and breakdown dominates so much talk in union that sometimes you overlook the finer details,” Sale’s defence coach, Jamie Langley, says.
“Until guys like Shaun and Phil came across, there wasn’t much talk on structure and shape. The games were so far apart and putting some attacking principles inspired by league into the mix helped accelerate the growth of the game. From there, you’ve got to evolve your defence to cope with the new attacking shapes.”
The trend does not appear to be slowing either, and it could increase if Ireland lift the World Cup. Most league coaches are hired specifically to improve defences, a point emphasised by the fact three of the quarter-finalists in the World Cup have a league coach in that role: Forshaw, Sinfield and Edwards.
If Ireland win the tournament, though, it could convince more union clubs that league coaches are valuable commodities. “After a lot of club directors have seen the way Ireland play, there’ll be a move to get league guys heading up an organisation or as attacking coaches,” Larder says.
“If your goal is to put bums on seats well, you’d watch an Andy Farrell team play, wouldn’t you? They’re exciting and that’s what people want.”
