Wells: Edwards’ Wigan return fading

Will Shaun Edwards return to Wigan? Jon Wells is not convinced

Jon Wells believes the chances of Shaun Edwards coaching at Wigan in 2020 are becoming less and less likely.

It was back in August 2018 when Wigan announced that Edwards would be coming back as their future coach on a three-year deal – taking over after finishing his stint with Wales at the 2019 World Cup.

Edwards spent 14 years with Wigan as a player and there was great excitement surrounding the announcement of his return as head coach in 2020, after Adrian Lam was handed the job for this season.

Edwards seemed excited, expressing his desire to come back to the Warriors because the club was special to him and because he wanted to get involved in the big rugby league games.

However, the rumours as to whether Edwards would be actually going back to Wigan began to gain momentum and came to a head last Saturday after Wales had won the Six Nations.

Speaking to reporters, Edwards said: “On my future, my next step really is to sign a contract, I haven’t signed a contract with anybody yet.

“I agreed with Wigan and thought we would sign a contract. But then Wigan said, ‘it’s okay, we’ll sign one later’, and I thought that was unusual. That was nine months ago.

Shaun Edwards of Wigan holds his arms aloft to form a six after the 1993 Challenge Cup final. It was the sixth successive win for Wigan in the Challenge Cup.

“I’ll consider all offers, league, union. All I can say is that I haven’t signed anything with anybody.”

Wigan responded saying that they have been seeking clarification from Edwards regarding his comments and his intentions.

Sky Sports pundit Wells said he had never been comfortable with the announcement and he does not believe Edwards’ future will be with Wigan.

“I’ll go back to the announcement in August of last year and this has never sat well with me,” explained Wells.

“Where does this leave Adrian Lam, what happens if Lam wins the double this year? How on earth do they usurp him to bring in Shaun Edwards?

“There is also a lot of speculation and that is dangerous territory – we look for facts and the fact is that there does not seem to be a signed contract in space.

“If we are dealing in facts, the only fact is that if I was part of that Wigan Warriors outfit and we had a contract signed by Shaun Edwards, then I would be making sure people knew about it.

“I can only deduct that there isn’t a contract signed. There was obviously intention there and a meeting of minds between Edwards and the club – he spoke at length about his desire to coach at Wigan.

Shaun Edward’s stock has risen after his success with Wales in the Six Nations

“But his stock has risen since Wales won the Grand Slam and there are murmurings, as there have been for a long time, that he will return to Wasps.

“For me, it is looking less and less likely that Shaun Edwards will become a Wigan coach.

“Wigan need to bring it to a head and bring it to a head quickly.”