Down deep past Perpignan in French Catalan territory, the mantelpiece at Shaun Edwards’s coastal abode is growing ever more crowded. A legend of two rugby codes already possessed a collection of precious metal to rival any Hatton Garden jeweller, but on Saturday, the France defence coach made men’s Six Nations history after securing a sixth winners’ medal.
No man has ever been part of more title-winning set-ups, a second secured with France in their belle epoque to go along with the four won with Wales during Warren Gatland’s golden age. It was not as if Edwards was lacking in trophies and trinkets from his playing days: his nine Challenge Cup crowns are not even a quarter of the prizes secured during his time at Wigan.
There was a moment in the minutes after a win over Ireland that transformed the tournament that summed France’s defence coach up. Boss Fabien Galthie had followed Edwards down to pitchside, ready to relish in one of the great Six Nations performances. But the Englishman was ticking, furious at the soft concession of two late tries even in a dominant demolition job. Galthie grabbed and grasped his key lieutenant in a clumsy hug; Edwards just about accepting it.
The 58-year-old is now long established as rugby union’s most influential defensive mind. Along with another code-hopper in Australia’s John Muggleton, it is not overstating it to say that Edwards and Gatland’s introduction of the blitz system while at Wasps more than two decades ago changed the sport.
No ideologue, his structures are based on sound principles but he adapts to each squad at his disposal. Look at how, with defensive captain Gael Fickou absent from the centres, he used Antoine Dupont as a midfield shooter to disrupt Wales in the Six Nations opener.
“I’ve been very lucky all my life. I’ve always worked with world-class players,” Edwards told AFP last week ahead of his 250th international fixture.
“What I’ve learned, or not learned, I already kind of knew it, is that even the best players want to get better. If you, as a coach, can help them get better, you’re lucky there.”
Speak to his peers, and the high esteem Edwards is held in is perfectly clear. Seeking to underline his side’s attacking development after the win over Wales, England boss Steve Borthwick displayed their progress and prowess by how they had fared against the Wiganer’s defence in the last two years.
“How many teams score four tries against France?” Borthwick asked. “We did that this year and last year. We’ve done that two years running. How many teams have done that against Shaun Edwards since he’s coached France?”
The answer to Borthwick’s question? Since Edwards’s arrival at the start of 2020, only five times have France conceded a bonus point try in the Six Nations, the two England examples joined by games against Ireland and Wales in 2023, and the Irish again in the opener in 2024. In three recent meetings, the All Blacks haven’t managed it, either. Their attacking architecture may draw the eye but Les Bleus are built on solid defensive foundations.
Edwards is handsomely rewarded for his role, turning his back on an agreed return to rugby league and Wigan in 2019 to instead take up defensive duties under Galthie. It has proved a shrewd move for both parties, but Edwards’s continued excellence raises questions about why a proud patriot has not had an offer from England for nearly 20 years. He was asked to join the staff in 2006, but the relatively recent death of his brother in a car crash meant that, after discussion with his mother, Edwards decided to remain at Wasps. Before signing a new deal with France in 2022, Edwards met Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney for a walk along the Thames – but there was no contract placed on the table.
It is often wondered if Edwards has ambitions to prove himself as a head coach. Ask the man himself and he will tell you he already has – a Premiership and Heineken Cup with Wasps evidence enough of his quality in a primary role. But Edwards would surely not be short of suitors were he to wish to take a top international job.
The other looming question is whether a second British and Irish Lions tour might be a possibility. Edwards and Lions boss Andy Farrell are ex-Wigan teammates; the latter captaining the former to great success while leader of the Warriors dynasty in the late 1990s. In January, ahead of the Six Nations, Edwards told The Times that he’d “swim to Australia” if his old rugby league mucker gave him a call.
Alas, it appears that Edwards will not be strapping on his cap and goggles. A group of assistants drawn heavily from Farrell’s Ireland staff is likely; the trip Down Under clashes with a marquee series between France and New Zealand. “I had no idea it was at the same time [as the All Blacks series]. I didn’t have a clue,” Edwards said last week. “My focus has been this Six Nations. I’m totally, 100% dedicated to the French team.”
As, surely, the FFR will be to him. From Toulouse to Toulon, Nantes to Nice, another Six Nations title was one that all of France could celebrate – but there was an Englishman at its centre.
