England’s Simon Middleton, who was the first women’s team coach to win World Rugby Coach of the Year, took a day off training camp for the Six Nations to collect his MBE.
The 56-year-old steered the Red Roses through a second successive unbeaten calendar year, including back-to-back record wins over world champions New Zealand.
After collecting his MBE for services to rugby from the Prince of Wales at a ceremony at Windsor Castle, he said: “You get an award like this and it is a fantastic personal award but you get it because of the people who are behind you – my wife and the players.
“When I was told I was getting it, I thought it is very much for everybody who has been involved with this. It is not just for me. I am just the very lucky recipient.
“I managed to get out of camp for a day, which is always good. We are back in camp next week and we play Scotland a week on Saturday for the start of the Six Nations.”
In a packed calendar of matches this year there is also the last couple of rounds of the Premier 15s league to deal with and “then some down time for the players before a pretty tough summer of training” before the World Cup in New Zealand in the autumn.
He would only say that his team could be counted “probably alongside France” as favourites for success in the Six Nations, as “there is nothing between the sides” despite England’s winning streak.
He said: “It will be really interesting because there has been a lot of change across all the nations. Wales has moved to some professional contracts and there has been quite a lot of uphill in the Irish game – you would expect a reaction there.
“It looks like there has been some really positive moves made there. France are a fantastic side and they are playing some great rugby at the moment.”
Mr Middleton beat New Zealand’s Ian Foster, Dave Rennie of Australia plus Allan Bunting and Cory Sweeney, who oversee the New Zealand women’s sevens team, to be named World Rugby’s coach of the year for 2021.
The Red Roses won all four of their autumn Tests to take their current winning run to 18 games.
He believes his World Rugby Coach of the Year title is important for women’s sport.
Mr Middleton said: “Hopefully it opens the door for other awards going forward as it is a recognition for women’s sport and how far women’s rugby has progressed.
“Getting the coaching award on the back of some of the success we have had (over the past three or four years) will hopefully encourage some of the home nations and the international countries to back their women’s game more.
“I think they want to but it is just a case of probably where they allocate their funds and how they get behind them. Everybody is working to restrictions but hopefully it helps to promote the game worldwide.”
