Well it looks on face value to be all over bar the shouting I just hope Lenegan gives him till say Wednesday and calls a halt to it if Edwards hasn’t by then

I wonder if this little Snake has the phone number of Brett Kenny so he can ring to apologise..

I get that there’s anger towards SE but all this would have been avoided if IL would have actually given SE a contract to sign. Some have suggested that SE didn’t want to sign at the time and if that’s the case IL should have then said “Thanks but no thanks”.



SE isn’t contracted to anyone post RUWC. He is well within his rights to look at all options on the table. This mess could have and should have been avoided way back when and SE given a contract to sign or Wigan walked away. It’s pure mismanagement from IL.

Time to get over this fantasy that Shaun Edwards is an innocent party.



I know it's difficult to think ill of a club legend, but sometime you've got to wake up and smell the coffee.



Yes, technically he is within his rights to look at all his options. But that doesn't negate the promises he made to the Wigan club and to the Wigan fans at a press conference that he now doesn't even mention when interviewed in the nationals. And if it was a case that Wigan were simply refusing to give him a contract (which is the exact opposite of what one chap posting on here has said actually happened), then why didn't he sort it out privately?



And why does he now need time to 'make up his mind' ... when his mind was apparently made up sufficiently last year for him to attend that press conference?



No one is saying that IL wasn't wrong to announce the deal before it was done, but that was a case of him being too trusting. Gizmo is guilty of a lot worse.

Speaking purely hypothetically here. But run this scenario:



They agree terms, maybe there a pending issue with the contract, something Shaun enquires about which IL has to look into, perhaps (this is just me speculating) which is a little unusual maybe to do with how SE is paid for example.

Because the contract is 95% done they shake hands, the agreement is as good as done.

In the meantime SE is in regular contact with the club, even to the point of discussing recruitment for his backroom staff etc.

SE asks IL and Wigan to take the pressure off and let him focus on Wales and the 6 nations. Out of respect and understanding IL agrees.

In the meantime SE's agent is contacted from a WASPs official on his situation (they sound him out for a position and fee then turns his head)

SE also enquires about the situation at England RU

SE debates his situation with Wigan, is it a better option than Wasps? He also still holds out to find out if he's inline for a position with England RU.

When quizzed on his situation, instead of confirming he'll boss Wigan, he refers to an exact; he's not signed a contract, which is the truth, but fails to elaborate on the details (which I've previously discussed)

The contract issue becomes the focal point in the media. IL wanting to keep Wigan out of the dirt refrains from responding until his hand is forced.

SE becomes hard to contact for Wigan adding more fuel to the fire.

IL confirms he won't hold SE to anything, if he wants to take his career in a different route, he's free to do so.

SE decides for several reasons a return to RL isn't the best option for him at this time. He praises IL (then makes a public media announcement about his love for all things Wigan to end it on a more positive, which falls very short in fans eyes)

AL is sounded out to do another season with Wigan after performances improve.

It's plausible, but as you say, it's just speculation.



I don't want to believe that Shaun Edwards saw this from the start as an opportunity to secure himself another big job in RU, with Wigan nothing more than a stepping stone. Unfortunately, the spending power of RU (God knows where it comes from!!!) has turned it into exactly that.



He may feel that a return to RL isn't the best move for him at this time, but I'm not there'll ever be a time when it is. Who would trust him after this?



Whatever, I feel he's displayed a real weakness of character and a huge lack of self-awareness.



Before last weekend, my view was that Wigan should move straight away to withdraw their offer. Now, I think that would be playing into Edwards' hands. They're right to leave the ball in his court. When this deal finally dies, it will be his decision to kill it, not Wigan's.

The spending power in RU comes from an effective governing body and sponsorship. Unfortunately the RFL only manage to get Mrs Miggins Pie Shop and run the game like an old boys club.

You're right. I can imagine Shaun having genuine intentions from the start, but then Wasps etc popped into the picture and SE suddenly realised there was other options. At the core of English RU is a thriving international game which generates enough money to prop up the code.

In recent years RU seems to have made good decisions whereas RL has made poor decisions widening the gap between the codes.



RL is the best code by far in my option, but RU, due to money and scale is arguably the most desirable for a player and or coach. Doesn't always work out (Charnley etc) but it's often worth a try.

The strength of RU is international competition.

Yes, which was my point, a Six Nations sponsored to a high level, covered on ALL games, we get a weekend in Liverpool with few TV games, sponsored by a cheap car company.

I think there’s guilt on both sides but it could have all been avoided with the signing of a contract. Announcing a “signing” without an actual signature on paper is absolutely ridiculous and embarassing. What did IL think was going to happen? As soon as SE left his office and then potential jobs in RU started to come up why wouldn’t be be tempted? Why wouldn’t he come out and say so in the media? If he was tied down to a contract this wouldn’t have happened.



A “handshake” is not how to do things in professional sport. You sign a contract. You can’t carry on dancing around the bush pretending that this isn’t the causation of this whole debacle. If there was no contract offered just a “gentleman’s agreement” SE should have said he will walk away and Wigan should have kicked their s into gear and offered one. If a contract was offered but declined to be signed by SE, Wigan should have walked away.

Is it really Thursday afternoon and this debacle hasn’t been cleared up?

We’re the kings of silence & dragging stuff out but this takes the biscuit