France coach Shaun Edwards linked with shock move to Six Nations rivals
Rugby NewsThursday, 05 February 2026 at 09:52
Shaun Edwards, the mastermind behind France’s imposing defence, has indicated he could be open to a future return to either England or Wales as a head coach.
Having previously held talks with England in 2022 before opting to stay on with France, the 59-year-old is now being linked with the role of replacing Steve Borthwick after the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
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Edwards, who served as Wales' defence coach from 2008 to 2019, was quizzed about the prospect of returning to Wales in an interview with the Daily Mail.
His response was nothing short of intriguing for fans across both England and Wales.
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"Any role interests me in the future, because I want to coach for as long as possible, particularly in international rugby,” Edwards said.
He continued, “I’ve proved myself as a head coach, with a team (Wasps) that won the Heineken Cup, the Premiership, and the Anglo-Welsh Cup. I know that, with my experience and the knowledge I’ve gained from working with people like Fabien Galthié and Gats, I’d be more than capable.”
Shaun Edwards exuded confidence when asked about stepping into a head coach role again, but he remained open-minded, adding, "It doesn’t bother me. As long as I’m in a job where I’m motivated, have good players to work with, who are highly motivated themselves, I can do both – assistant coach or head coach."
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In a previous interview he doubled down on his desire to coach England or Wales in the future. He wrote: "I will always keep an open mind about coaching England, or maybe returning to Wales, but now my sole focus is on France.
"My French language skills aren't good enough to be a head coach, so for now I'll be continuing as defence coach.
"At some point in future I'd like to make that step up to head coach at international level. I'm 56 years old and I'd like to coach into my 70s,"
Super Computer Predicts the Entire 2026 Six Nations – Full Fixtures, Scores & Predicted Table
The 2026 Six Nations Championship is just around the corner, and SPORTS4CAST’s super computer has delivered a full tournament forecast.
Key Takeaways
- France look unstoppable, going unbeaten in the predictions.
- England are strong challengers, only predicted to lose against France.
- Ireland face a mixed campaign, losing to France and England but beating the other sides.
- Scotland and Italy provide upset potential, while Wales struggle in the forecast.
- Several marquee clashes (France vs England, Ireland vs England) remain highly competitive.
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2026 Six Nations predictions by Round (SPORTS4CAST)
Round 1
| Date & Time | Home | Away | Predicted Winner | Win % | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 5 Feb 20:10 | France | Ireland | France | 54% | 21–16 | Could go either way |
| Sat 7 Feb 14:10 | Italy | Scotland | Scotland | 65% | 20–30 | Leaning Scotland |
| Sat 7 Feb 16:40 | England | Wales | England | 95% | 41–7 | Backing England |
Round 2
| Date & Time | Home | Away | Predicted Winner | Win % | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 14 Feb 13:10 | Ireland | Italy | Ireland | 93% | 43–12 | Backing Ireland |
| Sat 14 Feb 16:40 | Scotland | England | England | 60% | 18–23 | Could go either way |
| Sun 15 Feb 14:10 | Wales | France | France | 89% | 14–41 | Backing France |
Round 3
| Date & Time | Home | Away | Predicted Winner | Win % | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 21 Feb 14:10 | England | Ireland | England | 61% | 19–17 | Could go either way |
| Sat 21 Feb 16:40 | Wales | Scotland | Scotland | 79% | 18–37 | Leaning Scotland |
| Sun 22 Feb 15:10 | France | Italy | France | 92% | 43–14 | Backing France |
Round 4
| Date & Time | Home | Away | Predicted Winner | Win % | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 6 Mar 20:10 | Ireland | Wales | Ireland | 95% | 51–3 | Backing Ireland |
| Sat 7 Mar 14:10 | Scotland | France | France | 58% | 19–24 | Could go either way |
| Sat 7 Mar 16:40 | Italy | England | England | 84% | 13–35 | Backing England |
Round 5
| Date & Time | Home | Away | Predicted Winner | Win % | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 14 Mar 14:10 | Ireland | Scotland | Ireland | 84% | 29–8 | Backing Ireland |
| Sat 14 Mar 15:40 | Wales | Italy | Italy | 55% | 26–27 | Could go either way |
| Sat 14 Mar 20:10 | France | England | France | 59% | 24–19 | Could go either way |
Predicted Final Table – 2026 Six Nations (SPORTS4CAST)
| Team | P | W | L | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 5 | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| England | 5 | 4 | 1 | 16 |
| Ireland | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| Scotland | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Italy | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Wales | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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