Shaun Edwards joins London Irish – Rugby News Update
Shaun Edwards, the 45-year-old coach is going to be joining the London Irish ahead of the new season, once he arrives back from Australia in the summer.
The Irish director of Rugby, Brian Smith ,welcomed the move, and is looking forward to working with the new addition in his backroom staff, willing to take up a more hands-on approach with the attack.
He said, "Shaun is a world-class coach and he has been responsible for introducing a defensive system that has changed the shape of the modern game, consistently producing watertight defences in the Premiership, Six Nations, Lions tours and Rugby World Cups.”
After starting his career as a 17-year-old for Wigan, following the footsteps of his father John, Shaun rose to be one of the finest rugby players Britain produced in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Since his retirement from rugby, he made a career in coaching, picking
up many accolades along the way.
Edwards' break as a coach came with the London Wasps, turning the domestic also-rans into one of the best teams in Britain if not in Europe. Success followed the Wasps, with Edwards as a backs’ coach, winning back to back Premiership titles in 2003, 2004
and 2005. Along the way, they claimed two Heineken Cups as well, in 2004 and 2007. Edwards would later join the Welsh national team under Warren Gatland in 2008, and in that time Wales won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2008 and 2012.
However, the former Wasps coach is excited to be joining their London rivals and is relishing the opportunity to join the Premiership once again.
"London Irish has some fantastic players who I am looking forward to working with," Edwards said. "The squad has put in some great performances this season and have been unlucky not to come away with more wins. I want to work with the team to see how we
can then turn those frustrating last-minute defeats into victories."
The Exiles have bid farewell to Toby Booth, Neal Hatley and Justin Bishop in the backroom staff, and the new season will be an exciting one for the club.
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