women
international women
England’s Red Roses have praised Shaun Edwards’ commitment to the side despite his imminent move to the Argentina manager’s men.
It was confirmed last week that the experienced coach will join Argentina as their defense coach in November, having completed his consultancy role with England Women at the end of October. He will work together with the former The Cougars head coach Mario Ledesma, who has been appointed forwards coach, in Felipe Contepomi’s staff.
There was earlier speculation that the 59-year-old could join Steve Borthwick. England men, especially after it was confirmed that current defense coach Joe El-Abd will leave the international set-up after Rugby World Cup 2027 to become Clermont’s Director of Top 14 Rugby.
Edwards joined John Mitchell’s Red Roses coaching staff in September on a consulting basis and is currently in the Canada with the 2025 Women’s World Cup champions ahead of the matches against Canada and the USA.
On the eve of the upcoming England WXV Global Series games, winger Claudia Moloney-MacDonald revealed that Edwards refused to discuss his next move when quizzed about Argentina.
“Yeah, I actually tried to ask him at dinner the other night,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, well, come on, what’s going on? Are you excited about going to Argentina?’
“He didn’t even answer me. He had absolutely none of that. He said, ‘I’m not with Argentina. I’m with you guys.’
“Like, head fully in the Red Roses, fully dedicated to us. I wouldn’t even get involved in the conversation about Argentina.”
“So I think that’s pretty indicative of his commitment to being where he is now, what with us, focused on the next few games and let’s see what we can achieve.”
Although Edwards has spent less than a month with the Red Roses, his impact is already being felt. Players and coaches praised his presence in camp and his communication as England won 26-19 over New Zealand offered insight into its defensive impact.
“I think Shaun has come in and he’s been absolutely amazing for us and he’s brought so much in terms of mindset and energy,” said England lock Lilli Ives Campion. “And I think that as a coach he still has a lot to give to the game.
“He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and that’s perfectly fine. I think right now we’re just with him at this point and enjoying what he has as a coaching experience and bringing that into our game. I think that’s all we can ask for.”
A challenging October awaits the Red Roses, with two matches against Canada followed by a meeting with USA at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey.
Canada ended England’s 38-match winning streak with a 26-26 draw at Exeter’s Sandy Park, setting up another intriguing contest between the teams. The clash in Toronto will set a new North American attendance record for an individual women’s rugby game.
The US will provide another significant test. In September, Jack Hanratty’s Eagles beat both Ireland and Wales, results that lifted them two places to sixth in the World Rugby rankings.
England will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to three games, while Edwards remains focused on the job at hand.
As Ives Campion recalled: “He said, ‘I’ve got a job to do here first.’
“He’s very dedicated. Very professional.”