England’s new attack coach Martin Gleeson believes he can emulate his friend Shaun Edwards and make a significant difference at the highest level of international rugby union over the next two years leading up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The former rugby league centre, who represented Great Britain on 20 occasions and won the Super League title twice as a player, had spent just two years in union at Wasps prior to accepting Eddie Jones’s offer to join the national setup but is confident he can help inject some extra zest and accuracy into England’s attacking game.
The Wigan-born Gleeson, 41, used to go around to Edwards’ house to study match tapes and analyse ways of outwitting defences and is now hoping to assist England in their bid to outwit, among others, a French defence now marshalled by the consistently successful Edwards.
“Shaun Edwards was a big influence in me coming to rugby union,” said Gleeson as England concluded a short training camp in Teddington. “When he was the Wales coach I used to go and see him throughout the year and he’d ask me stuff about defences when I was still in league.
“I’d go to his house and we’d have some good conversations. That really started perking my interest in the game. Shaun is obviously someone who played and had success at Wigan, where I’m from. I watched him as a kid growing up. He was a big influence.”
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