Good coaches who never played the game

[TheOvalBall]

Is it possible to name any ?
I was just curious about this. At top level preferably, the last 20 years or so.

Thanks in advance

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ever? Or just not at the top level?

 

[TheOvalBall]

At top level preferably, the last 20 years or so.

 

[Leinster Fan]

Joe Schmidt was never an international or anything, but he did score a try against a touring France so he must have been decent.

29 county championship appearances for Manawatu, that's probably top level in fairness.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Loads of ex Munster players become coaches.

 

[RedruthRFC]

I don't think Stuart Lancaster ever played level 1 rugby. IIRC Wakefield peaked at level 2 and Leeds (or whichever of Headingly or Roundhay he played for before they merged) the same. He did play age group rugby for Scotland though (I'll rise above an obvious joke ).

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Jack Rowell, who has the highest win % of any Eng coach bar Jones only had the briefest of playing careers. He was in charge of Eng 94 - 97, but had unbelievable success at Bath.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/sport/other-sport/glory-years-bath-rugby-through-1748224

 

[RedruthRFC]

Former Cornish Pirates DoR Ian Davies' playing career came to a premature end thanks to a succession of nasty back and knee injuries between the age of 17 and his early 20s, so I don't imagine he ever played to much of a level. He worked his way up to level 2 by persuing coahing qualifications and coaching (less and less as he progressed) junior clubs.

Edit: stumbled upon an article featuring Davis that might interest a few:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/35820042

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I don't think Stuart Lancaster ever played level 1 rugby. IIRC Wakefield peaked at level 2 and Leeds (or whichever of Headingly or Roundhay he played for before they merged) the same. He did play age group rugby for Scotland though (I'll rise above an obvious joke ).

He was my first thought too but apparently he played professionally for Leeds in the late 90s.


Ben Ryan is one of the best Rugby 7s coaches there's been, but he never played it.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Jack Rowell, who has the highest win % of any Eng coach bar Jones only had the briefest of playing careers. He was in charge of Eng 94 - 97, but had unbelievable success at Bath.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/sport/other-sport/glory-years-bath-rugby-through-1748224

Good shout. Funnily enough, his name was going to be the next one I checked out. I had no clue about his playing career. Given the way he towered over most of his pack, I'd assumed he was a handy second row in his day. Hard to equate the level that he played to given that his career was in pre-league days, but I'd have thought that Gosforth were pretty well respected in his playing days (and back before rugby moved to the M5 corridor).

I'm struggling to think of a better English coach since him now you mention it.

 

[RedruthRFC]

He was my first thought too but apparently he played professionally for Leeds in the late 90s.

Professionally, but AFAIK, never at level 1.

@TheOvalBall thanks for giving me something to do this evening! I can enjoy wasting hours with questions like this.

 

[TheOvalBall]

Always happy to help

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Chris Boyd played club rugby for Tawa, i.e. at a level that has never been pro

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

How's about Shaun Edwards?

Premiership and Heineken Cup winning head coach who hasn't played a second of union.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Chris Boyd played club rugby for Tawa, i.e. at a level that has never been pro

Isn't this really rare in New Zealand? I recall reading Chris Sterling saying that he looked for work overseas as he felt that his lack of playing credentials would hold him back in New Zealand.

To be fair, the thread seems to be showing that it's pretty rare anywhere.

 

[RedruthRFC]

How's about Shaun Edwards?

Premiership and Heineken Cup winning head coach who hasn't played a second of union.

The pedant in me was dying to tell remind you of the Clash of Codes. Luckily I checked first, it turns out he didn't play in the union leg. I can salvage some sort of pride assuming you count sevens as union - he played for wigan in the team that won the Middlesex sevens.

Good angle unless OP wants to modify the question, there must be others.....off I go for another hour or two!

Edit: Joe Lydon and Mike Ford are another couple of obvious ones that spring to mind. Although Lydon did play union for Wigan against Bath.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Isn't this really rare in New Zealand? I recall reading Chris Sterling saying that he looked for work overseas as he felt that his lack of playing credentials would hold him back in New Zealand.

To be fair, the thread seems to be showing that it's pretty rare anywhere.

Seems very rare, yes. You either have to have been a top level player with plenty of playing experience at the provincial or higher level, or you could have had less experience but been a high school teacher. In other words, high school coaching is the route you have to take if you don't have lots of top level playing experience, but even as a high school teacher you still have to have better playing credentials than the other teachers

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

assuming you count sevens as union.

I don't. Never have. Never will.

But I'm a big fan of pedantry.

 

[Leinster Fan]

Pretty sure that the Ireland U20 coach (Noel McNamara) never played now that I think about it.

 

[ratsapprentice]

How's about Shaun Edwards?

Premiership and Heineken Cup winning head coach who hasn't played a second of union.

Edwards was England schoolboy captain at both rugby league and rugby union (the only schoolboy to achieve this feat), and had been pursued by several clubs.

From his wiki.

That may be but it cannot all be coincidence. Sometimes, as he scowls intently from the coaching box, it is forgotten what an extraordinary playing career he had. So good was he as a youngster that he captained England's schoolboy teams at both league and union on the same weekend. "On the Friday night I captained England schools at rugby league in Wigan, where we beat France. Then I went down to Bristol on the train to play union for England schools on the Monday night. We beat Wales narrowly and that was the day I realised how important forwards are in union. If you don't win your scrums, lineouts, restarts and breakdowns, you can virtually never touch the ball. We had 15-minute periods when we never had any possession but we scored two breakaway tries and won."

From a Guardian interview.

From memory, this wasn't uncommon in Wigan - kids play both.