The first thing is that I think Lesley McKenzie is one of the best infielders at her craft, especially in the contact zone or the defensive contact area.
That’s not to say she isn’t very strong in other areas; she is a well-rounded trainer, but every trainer specializes in one thing. In the case of Lesley McKenzie, it’s contact. Personally, I have never seen or worked with a better contact coach than her – either in the women’s or men’s game.
But don’t take my word for it; take Dean Benton (former head of sports science for England Rugby and Director of Rugby Melbourne Storm) or Ollie Richards’ (recognized S&C trainer, specializing in MMA fights) as they can both confirm the same.
While I was working with Lesley at the JRFU, Ollie, who Lesley signed up as Head of Sports Science for the Japan women’s program, came to his first contact defense training session and, after experiencing it firsthand, said, “Well, that’s one less area for me to cover!” Dean Benton, who observed the session, called it one of the best contact sessions he had ever attended.
Lesley brings a high level of critical skill to players they have not worked with or experienced before, and this is reflected in the way they play and perform. For her, it’s about how the team can be better, how the player can be better and how the environment can be better so they can do their best on the field. Her attention to detail in everything she does is anchored in her determination to drive purposeful standards.
I say purposeful, because everything she does is related to the game and the player’s generic or specialized skills. When I first joined the Japan women’s team, I found a high-performance environment that, although lacking in resources, was well structured, well organized and had an impact on the players’ performances and lives.
I’m not sure I’ve ever worked with someone more eager than her. Her belief in the program, its expansion and anticipation to take it to the next level was inspiring. That got me on my toes quite a bit. I quickly realized that by working with England, with all their resources on and off the pitch, I had inadvertently slipped into a comfort zone, and had to get back up to speed in terms of working under the pressure of knowing that every minute on the pitch had to count and every resource had to be maximized.
I remember thinking, ‘I’m out of my comfort zone here!’ I don’t mind admitting that for a while I felt like I was treading water. She’s just trying to keep up with the intensity she worked at – because she wanted to keep moving forward and push everyone to become their best version.
I remember one specific episode where, at the end of a session, we would pick up a group of players to work on a particular craft or skill. Lesley asked me to take the scrum halves to train delivery from the line out and I said yes and took the players.
However, that part of the training was a little uninspiring, because I even recognized it, and then Lesley came up to me and said, ‘What are you doing? There’s no point in doing that. It’s only going to make them worse,’ and I thought, ‘Let it go. I have to improve my game.’ It’s that kind of driving force.
At the same time, she is an excellent student of the game. I have never met anyone with a wider knowledge of the game or stronger opinions than Lesley. Whether it’s players, teams or competitions around the world, she has incredible knowledge about it all.
She’s obsessed with rugby, but more specifically, she’s even more obsessed with making the game better and safer. I wouldn’t say she’s not in the game to win at all costs, but it’s more that winning is a product of the program: to make the game better, the players better, and protect them while they play. The ‘safe’ part is one of the things that drives her, as her belief is in safety through technical excellence.
That’s why I mentioned the word ‘detail’ earlier. Her work on solving the attack and its technique were crucial to the progress of our game and the reduction of injuries to players, or at least in the whole Japanese team. If you take France c Australia game from the second weekend, how many of those yellow cards would have been avoided with a more effective tackling technique? The answer is all of them!
Her network of coaches and acquaintances is something to behold; she always wants to talk and exchange ideas with people from the men’s and women’s game. All in an effort to make the game a better version of what it is and to expand my knowledge of the game and its intricacies.
Seeing her journey, she left Canada that New Zealand and then Japan, working in the country all alone. It takes a special kind of person to continue and strive in such challenging environments and circumstances. She is certainly not afraid to make bold decisions and step into the unknown.
Her approach to working with players, and her commitment to supporting them in every possible way, speaks volumes for her abilities as a people manager. She will never just give you an answer; instead, she asks questions or offers a suggestion.
Working with her in Japan, I could see how invested she was in empowering players to navigate the game and take as much ownership of their development as she did in developing their rugby.
Her team meetings were impressive, to say the least. Always alternative, always educational, always relevant and more often than not, incredibly inspiring.
Lesley will bring this and more to any program, whether men’s or women’s. He wants to be the best coach he can be. Portugal they get an amazing coach with an array of skills and knowledge to rival anyone in the game. If she thought she had nothing to add, she would be the first to say she shouldn’t be there. But it is, and will be, invaluable Lobos and Lusitanos goes ahead. I have no doubt.
Same with Shaun Edwards. He will bring details, ideas, quality and commitment to help the Red Roses become an even stronger side. He will add another few percent to England’s chances of winning games. He is an excellent coach and motivator, brings energy and high standards.
During my rugby league days, I had the privilege of playing against Shaun on countless occasions. More often than not to no avail! To say he is a born winner would be stating the obvious; he is the most decorated rugby league player the game has ever seen.
What made him that winner is what counts. More than a natural born winner, he is a natural born competitor; he was literally the fiercest opponent you could meet on the court.
But he was, and apparently still is, one of the great students of the game. This is clearly reflected in his coaching career in rugby. While some outstanding defensive coaches migrated from the league to the union in the 90s, Phil Larder and Mike Ford to name a couple, Shaun literally revolutionized defense with his work on Wasps and, in doing so, turned them into an English rugby union powerhouse at the time.
He introduced the concept of UP & IN defense, so fast, so aggressive, but so detailed, that the offensive coaches could not come to terms with it. Shaun took this to the international arena with Wales and, along with his old Wasps partner Warren Gatland, they repeated the success they had at Wasps, only this time in red Wales.
Edwards’ move to the Red Roses is another example of how big-name coaches from the men’s game are now assessing the challenges and opportunities the women’s game offers them. And for the cynics who may see this as an easy win for Edwards and a chance to hang with a great team already in place until the next man’s opportunity, think again.
He knows only one way to operate, and that is at the top of his game, with the expectation of improving everyone around him and, in addition, to win. The expectation that, I have no doubt, he will impress all those around him.
The players and staff will love his approach as Shaun loves rugby and is a world leader in what he does. He seems very serious, but he is actually a great person. He cares deeply for people, and that will serve England well.
Now, if you’re wondering what kind of changes they’ll bring to England, I’d say you’ll feel a different energy emanating from them, especially in defence. Line speed, aggressiveness in the contact zone and willingness to take risks in defense. Shaun Edwards likes an energized, aggressive defense that won’t be afraid to take risks. It may look unstructured and messy, but it’s not, because there is real structure to the strategy it applies.
Organized chaos would be the most appropriate way to define it.
For people who don’t see the positives in Lesley McKenzie joining the Portugal men’s national team or Shaun Edwards joining the England women’s national team, I can honestly say you are living in the past.
Teams looking to get closer to winning or building a more successful program will always hunt down the best coaches in the game, and those two nations have done just that. It is a testament to their ambition, quality, high standards and vision, and they will show first-hand what they can bring to Portugal and England.
