Google Favourites <\/a>for nonstop RUCK content!<\/p>\nEdwards leaves Les Bleus after helping transform their defence during a hugely successful spell under Fabien Galthi\u00e9. Despite his availability ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, reports suggest Steve Borthwick is happy with his current coaching team and is not looking to make changes.<\/p>\n
That decision is likely to frustrate England supporters, many of whom have long wanted Edwards involved with the national side.<\/p>\n
Instead, the 59-year-old is expected to attract interest from across the rugby world.<\/p>\n
One intriguing destination is Fiji.<\/p>\n
The Pacific Islanders are searching for a permanent head coach after Mick Byrne\u2019s departure earlier this year, and Edwards could prove the perfect fit ahead of the 2027 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Fiji have never lacked attacking talent, with stars such as Josua Tuisova, Jiuta Wainiqolo and Levani Botia capable of troubling any defence. Their problem has often been consistency without the ball.<\/p>\n
That weakness was exposed during the Nations Championship, including a heavy defeat to England, and Edwards has built a reputation as the man who can fix exactly that.<\/p>\n
His defensive systems helped Wales win multiple Six Nations titles before he repeated the trick with France, turning them into one of the toughest teams to break down in world rugby.<\/p>\n
There is no indication that formal talks have taken place between Edwards and Fiji, and any link remains speculative.<\/p>\n
But with Fiji looking for a coach and Edwards suddenly available, it would be one of the most fascinating appointments before Australia 2027.<\/p>\n
If England choose not to make a move once again, they could find themselves watching from afar as one of rugby\u2019s greatest coaches helps turn another nation into genuine World Cup contenders.<\/p>\n
Three things you might not know about Shaun Edwards<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc9\u00a0He is a rugby league icon.\u00a0Before switching codes, Edwards won\u00a0eight Challenge Cups\u00a0with Wigan and made over\u00a0450 appearances, widely regarded as one of the greatest rugby league players of all time.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\u00a0He speaks fluent French.\u00a0After joining France\u2019s coaching staff in 2019, Edwards immersed himself in the language and now regularly delivers meetings and coaching sessions in French.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc6\u00a0He has won more than 20 major trophies as a coach.\u00a0Across spells with Wasps, Wales and France, Edwards has helped teams win domestic titles, European Cups, Six Nations championships and Grand Slams, cementing his reputation as one of rugby\u2019s most successful coaches.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc6\u00a0He has coached four different Grand Slam-winning teams.\u00a0Edwards was a key figure behind Wales\u2019 Grand Slams in\u00a02008, 2012 and 2019, before helping France complete their own Grand Slam in\u00a02022\u2014an incredible achievement for a defence coach.<\/p>\n
2027 Rugby World Cup draw: England play Wales<\/p>\n
Each of the six pools\u00a0featured\u00a0a team from Bands 1, 2, 3 and 4.<\/p>\n
The confirmed Bands based on rankings\u00a0were:<\/p>\n
Band 1:\u00a0South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Argentina
Band 2:\u00a0Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy, Wales, Japan
Band 3:\u00a0Georgia, Uruguay, Spain, USA, Chile, Tonga
Band 4:\u00a0Samoa, Portugal, Romania, Hong Kong China, Zimbabwe, Canada<\/p>\n
2027 Rugby World Cup draw:<\/p>\n
Pool A<\/p>\n
New Zealand\u00a0\u2013 Perennial contenders with flair, power and unmatched rugby IQ.
Australia\u00a0\u2013 Unpredictable but dangerous, capable of brilliance on their day.
Chile\u00a0\u2013 Fast-improving newcomers bringing passion and fearless physicality.
Hong Kong China\u00a0\u2013 Skillful, energetic, and eager to prove themselves on the global stage.<\/p>\n
Pool B<\/p>\n
South Africa\u00a0\u2013 Brutal, relentless, and brutally efficient\u2014never count them out.
Italy\u00a0\u2013 Developing rapidly, mixing strong set-piece work with expanding ambition.
Georgia\u00a0\u2013 Scrum specialists with raw forward strength and growing all-round polish.
Romania\u00a0\u2013 Proud and powerful, known for toughness and unwavering fight.<\/p>\n
Pool C<\/p>\n
Argentina\u00a0\u2013 Dynamic, crafty, and fiercely competitive with a never-say-die spirit.
Fiji\u00a0\u2013 Magical offloads, searing pace, and unique unpredictability.
Spain\u00a0\u2013 Determined climbers building consistency and confidence every year.
Canada\u00a0\u2013 Physical and committed, working to regain their traditional sharpness.<\/p>\n
CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"England look set to miss out on Shaun Edwards once again, with the legendary defence coach becoming one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":703192,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-703191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}