Shaun Edwards' mind

[Mike]

Hi

I just read this interview with Josh Lewsey in the Times in which he talks about the qualities of Shaun Edwards as a coach and player:

Allowed just one telephone call before today's World Cup semi-final, whose number would he dial? Josh Lewsey doesn't need much time to consider the question: "I would have already called my girlfriend, so that last call would be to Shaun Edwards." In the heartlands of rugby league, Edwards is a legend. Born in Wigan, he was burdened with a matchstick physique and blessed with a mind that acknowledged no boundaries. He is now assistant coach at Wasps, the rugby union team for which Lewsey plays. They have grown close, as mates but also as teacher and pupil. Edwards has taught him about the psychology of elite performance.

Lewsey recalls a particular day at the club's training ground. He is on the physio's table but has a view of the ground outside. Edwards is running up and down the pitch, ball in hand, scoring tries in the World Cup final, all by himself. This is three years after his retirement from professional sport and as Lewsey watches, he marvels at the man's madness. "Twenty-five minutes he spends flying up and down. You're thinking, 'The bloke's a lunatic, definitely got a screw loose'. But Shaun's done more for me than anybody would believe. I like to think he saw something of himself in me. Basically, his theory is that the older he got, the more relaxed he got about playing big games. "And the more relaxed he was, the better he performed. If he had made this discovery earlier, he would have had an even greater career. So he got me to switch off from rugby in the week before the game, taught me how to just go out there and play. Clear your head of the nonsense. You can reflect on the enormity of the occasion after it is over. Sportsmen cower under the weight of a big occasion, so mentally you remove that weight. "Shaun didn't have a degree in psychology; he's had no training in physiology, but what he was able to do was completely master his own mind and, in this way, get the very best out of himself. That's an achievement."

See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 33,00.html
for the full story

[the grinch]

a great player its a pity we can't find somewhere at wigan for him he is an insparation to any player

[Alex the Warrior]

I could never believe that some supporters used to give Shaun Edwards stick. My all time favourite player and he should never have played for anyone else.

The incident that sums him up best for me, was the final against Warrington where he got his cheek bone smashed. He played on saying 'I didn't want them to think they could hurt me'