Read and Enjoy - great stuff www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 009548.ece

Read and Enjoy - great stuff www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 009548.ece

Thanks for going to the trouble I enjoyed that.

Edwards is a true rugby legend

Cheap backup merchant and a rugby union coach more like

Can barely think of one game when he played well against Australia...

He helped more in game 1 1994 by getting sent off.

1992 game 2 he played OK. Schofield was the star in the halves though.

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Good read. It's a great shame we don;t have the cash or attitude to keep our great players involved in the game like they do in Australia.

A few more England players with his desire wouldnt go amiss!

He is no great loss at international level given he could never deliver the goods in a Test versus Australia during his playing career. (Bit of a laugh for him to take credit for game II 1992, given the whole GB team's performance, especially Schofield's as I mentioned earlier.)

I'd prefer to have Reilly back involved with GB.

He gave them some real fire.

TBF we got closest to them in the early 90's and haven't been near since.

He obviously has good coaching and motivation abilities and I'd rather he be using them to further English RL than RU!

For once I agree with both of your comments:-

Bloody Eastwood's missed conversion of O'Loughlin's try cost the 2nd Test of 1990. No doubt. 12-10 with 10 minutes to go and GB would have hung on with that amazing crowd at Old Trafford.

And yes, I would rather Edwards' abilities - even with the question marks referred to above - be put towards RL than Vichyball.

Don`t we have a RU thread in Any other sports ?

My, what an awful lot of mod wannabes

Only a few years ago we were within 6 points in 3 tests and in 2 of those games winning till the final couple of minutes IIRC

He couldnt walk straight into a SL head coaching job so he gives the rest of his career and knowledge to Rugby Union. Judas.

This should be in the Union thread.

We need people like Shaun Edwards back in our game now.

If Edwards wanted to be in our game, he would be.

I hate union as much as most fans on here, but Edwards was a great RL player and that's an excellent article about him. It's a good article for RL too. People suggesting that it deserves to be shunted to AOS need to take their heads out of their....

Nice how he credits his winding himself up with single-handedley causing GB's biggest win over Aus. He must have forgotten to wear his cape in the next two games then.

He comes across as a very determined person, but also - IMO - quite the egomaniac.

The Aussies used to go out of their way to look after Edwards and close him down. That much is obvious.

Look at matches he was in against the Kiwis, who at the time were a long way behind the Aussies and probably third best, behind us. In 1989, Edwards was on the subs bench and we got thrashed until he came on and changed the game. Sadly it was too late to get the win.

Games two and three, he destroyed them.

I agree, to be honest. There were points in that article where he came across as distinctly unlikeable, and probably a bit sinister.

Read between the lines, though, and his responses about union are formulaic. His league chat, though appears to be more animated. There's no doubt he loves league, but he also knows what side his bread is buttered.

Not really, given that we got thrashed in the first test, and Paramatta beat us 30-0 in a midweek game. The third test finished closely but we made that many mistakes with the ball the scoreline was flattering.

We got closer in (i think) 2003 or thereabouts, when we lost the series 3-0 and could have won 3-0 if we'd stayed awake. We lost all three tests in the final minute or two.

And then there is the following year in the tri-nations? Lost the first test in the final minute (yet again!) kicked f*ck out of NZ twice, and thrashed the Aussies at the JJB. We only got our backsides kicked so badly in the final because Noble changed half the side (including a fat and unfit Iestyn Harris at stand off, having been in RU for nigh on four years, I mean FFS!)

I'm not sure why we are discussing whether he was good or not. He was probably one of the most talented players to play Rugby League in Britain.
He won everything in the domestic game. He played a number of games, ensuring the win for his team, while in severe pain from broken cheek bone etc. He played for GB when we beat the Aussies and was well respected by them. In the WCC he showed he had the skills to play at the top level against the Aussies.
He has since proved he has brains as well as an iron will to win in his coaching career.

Whether he's a nce guy to talk to is not really the issue. I wouldn't pick him to entertain the kids in a clown outfit but I would want him coaching my kid's team and would want him with me if I played ANY sport rather than against me.

If someone had the money to bring him back to Rugby League, I'd be happy. Especially at International level. The way he is described in that article, I think GB RL would benefit greatly from that attitude.

and even though it is a Rugby Union driven article, he does not forget his roots and talk like he has seen the light since switching so he has my respect for that too.