Shaun Edwards joins Red Roses, inspired by mother who never got to play

Shaun Edwards has joined England's Red Roses as a defence coach because his late mother never got the chance to play rugby herself.

Back-row forward Marlie Packer says Edwards told the squad his mother Phyllis would have loved to pull on a shirt. That memory helped draw him to the women's game.

Edwards has linked up with head coach John Mitchell as a coaching consultant for the rest of the autumn campaign BBC. The role centres on defence, the tackling system, line speed and cover that decides games when a team does not have the ball. His short-term deal runs through the WXV Global Series, the autumn global tournament for women's Test sides Sky Sports.

Packer said Edwards spoke openly to the players about Phyllis. She worked as a hairdresser in Wigan and died in March 2021. He told them she never had the opportunity to play and would have loved to do so.

Rugby ran deep in that household. His father Jackie ended his rugby league career with Warrington after a spinal injury at the age of 24. Shaun grew up in Wigan, became a league great with his hometown club, then switched codes to coach union.

His coaching record travels with him. He arrives after a six-and-a-half-year stint with France, and has won seven Six Nations titles as a coach across spells with Wales and France. England confirmed the appointment as a consultancy role for the Red Roses, the nickname for the England women's national team England Rugby.

Packer brings plenty of history too. She plays in the back row, the loose forwards who carry hard, make tackles and fight for the ball at the ruck (the contest on the ground after a tackle). She made her England debut in 2008 and has been part of 10 Grand Slam-winning sides, teams that won every game in a Six Nations season.

England need that know-how now. Their run of 39 successive Test wins was halted by a 26-26 draw with Canada at Sandy Park. They face New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, then travel for Tests against Canada in Ottawa and Toronto and against the United States.

For fans, this means extra steel for a demanding block. England already score freely. Packer scored four tries herself in a 61-33 Six Nations win over Italy in May, a result that kept them on course for a possible title decider with France. Autumn brings faster, more physical opponents, and a specialist in defensive organisation could prove decisive.