It is not really secret weapon of French rugby. This Saturday, the Englishman Shaun Edwards is back on the land of his exploits. Finally the last ones, because the man with the patibular face (but we must not trust him, he is excessively sympathetic) has the habit of transforming everything he touches into gold.
Defense coach of the Welsh team since 2008, the native of Wigan, and only player to have been captain of the English of the XIII and XV in youth, allowed the XV of Leek to develop an iron defense, based on its principle of "rush defense", or "blitz defense", an aggressive defense, insisting on rapid climbs, even if it means unbalancing the block, to recover the balls to be exploited afterwards.
Hired by France after the World Cup, Shaun (not of the dead, huh, he would have smashed them, the zombies, him) caused a small stir in England, where many are those who criticized the national federation for not having knew how to bring the prodigal son home.
Preceded by a reputation for extreme standards and thrifty in his words, Edwards immediately impresses. But when the ice breaks, man reveals himself to be the opposite of this image. "I'm a funny guy. It’s true that it doesn’t sound like, if he laughs. I farted my nose fifteen times. I also broke my orbit in three, and moved my cheekbone the same day. " And he tells how his mother apologized to her friends, discovering the young Shaun, 17 years old, one less incisor and dented everywhere: "Before he didn't look like that. "
Having put himself in French, and working on it daily, the Englishman is able to make himself understood by his flock. In any case, he excludes big speeches – which he couldn't stand when he was playing – to favor dry words. Who slam. And the players follow him, converted to his approach which turns everything he touches into gold.
Yesterday, in the bays of the Millennium stadium, I saw Shaun Edwards take the time to go and greet stadium employees (who belong to the Welsh federation), and stall glasses with them "after the game". After the Welsh and French defenses, his two (beautiful) babies, will clash on the meadow.
All our meeting is to be found here (with the nice photos of friend Matthieu Rondel)
