Eddie Jones and Ben Ryan both enjoyed a year to remember in 2016 with England and Fiji and we have entered an era where the coaches seem to have become an increasingly valuable commodity in the game
Here is a 2017 question to ponder: who is the most influential person in top-level rugby? In days of yore it was always the players and, for better or worse, the referee. More recently it could be argued it is the TMO or even the TV director who selects the key replays. Increasingly, though, we are entering a third age, with players, match officials and entire swaths of the media in complete thrall to one particular individual. Welcome to the era of the rugby super coach.
The past 12 months, perhaps above all others, have intensified the trend. Each year prior to the ever-popular Rugby Union Writers’ dinner (the importance of proper hydration in early January cannot be emphasised enough) a poll of members is conducted to identify the year’s most influential or dominant personality. Alongside that Pat Marshall Memorial Trophy, there is also a special award for those who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport and who personify its best aspects. In central London on Monday, for the first time, both those prestigious awards went to coaches rather than players, in the form of Eddie Jones and Ben Ryan respectively.
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