Mike Ford (rugby): Difference between revisions
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He retired in 2001 as player-coach of Oldham RLFC after guiding them to the championship Grand Final. Whilst at Oldham, he started coaching rugby union at [[Dukinfield]] RUFC for 5 seasons winning a cup and two promotions. He left Oldham RLFC to take over as Defensive Co-ordinator of [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] in January 2002 and stayed for 4 seasons winning a triple crown and guiding Ireland to 3rd in the world rankings. In September 2004 he started working as a defence and skills coach at [[Saracens F.C.]], before taking over as head coach in August 2005. |
He retired in 2001 as player-coach of Oldham RLFC after guiding them to the championship Grand Final. Whilst at Oldham, he started coaching rugby union at [[Dukinfield]] RUFC for 5 seasons winning a cup and two promotions. He left Oldham RLFC to take over as Defensive Co-ordinator of [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] in January 2002 and stayed for 4 seasons winning a triple crown and guiding Ireland to 3rd in the world rankings. In September 2004 he started working as a defence and skills coach at [[Saracens F.C.]], before taking over as head coach in August 2005. |
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Ford served as a defence coach for the midweek team on the [[2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand]], remaining undefeated from 7 games (the test side lost the series lost 3-0) and left his position with Ireland in September 2005. He became defence coach of [[England national rugby union team|England]] May 2006. |
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Rugby World Cup 2007 |
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Ford was part of the coaching team for England at the 2007 RWC. There were a number of reviews into the failures inherent in this RWC campaign including the Rugby Players' Association report, which allowed England's players to give their candid views on the squad's failings anonymously. Here are selected highlights; |
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“It reached a stage where each time we won a game we joked that we had saved a couple of the coaches’ jobs again.” |
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“The standard of attack coaching and defence coaching was poor. Substandard to coaching at my club.” |
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“The coaches seemed to have the same blueprint for every game. They didn’t seem to grasp that every opposition would play differently. Some of the coaches have no feel for the game.” |
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“The coaches’ philosophy on how to play the game was very different. The coaches really hate each other.” |
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“It was a tick-the-box, I’m all right Jack mentality.” |
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“Coaches spoke in generics: ‘play at tempo.’ But then no detail what to do next.” |
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“Coaches did not put enough trust in players on the field.” |
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“We had no identity. We weren’t the best at anything and we weren’t encouraged to be.” |
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“We basically did a bit of everything averagely, trying to cover everything in every training session.” |
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“They’d had four years to develop a plan and it felt like they were doing it off the cuff.” |
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“At our club there is a brutally honest policy. If you mess up, you are bollocked and understand you have let your team-mates down. In England there was a no-blame/excuse culture where you swept things under the carpet.” |
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“If players don’t perform, we get dropped; on the other hand, the coaches just seem to go through an internal review and keep their jobs.” |
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“We can’t just blame the coaches for the predicament we got in. Look at France, they couldn’t stand their coach and they almost won the World Cup.” |
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“It wasn’t Johno, it was that Johno was surrounded by the wrong people.” |
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| ⚫ | “He’s (Johnson) incredibly loyal. The coaches aren’t stupid. They all make sure they get on very well with Johno.”.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/8908818/Englands-Rugby-World-Cup-shambles-laid-bare-as-leaked-report-blames-greedy-players-and-weak-leaders.html|title=The Telegraph, Tuesday 23 November 2011|publisher=Telegraph|date=23 November 2011|accessdate=23 November 2011}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | |||
The England playing record with Mike Ford as defence coach is;<ref name="www.scrum.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/team/1.html?class=1;spanmax1=31+Nov+2011;spanmin1=1+May+2006;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team;view=results|title=Scrum.com, 11 Jun 2006 -to- 8 Oct 2011|publisher=Espn Scrum.com|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref> |
The England playing record with Mike Ford as defence coach is;<ref name="www.scrum.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/team/1.html?class=1;spanmax1=31+Nov+2011;spanmin1=1+May+2006;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team;view=results|title=Scrum.com, 11 Jun 2006 -to- 8 Oct 2011|publisher=Espn Scrum.com|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 17:13, 13 November 2012
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| Born | 18 November 1965 Oldham, Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Scrum-half/Halfback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mike A. Ford (born 18 November 1965) is an English former rugby league player and current rugby union coach. Most recently, he was the England national rugby union team's defence coach until December 2011 when he decided not to seek a renewal of his contract.[1]
Born in Oldham, Lancashire, Ford played rugby league as a Scrum-half/Halfback, playing for Wigan, Leigh, Wakefield Trinity, Castleford, South Queensland Crushers and Oldham. He won 10 caps for Great Britain.
Mike Ford played Scrum-half/Halfback in Wigan's 14-8 victory over New Zealand in the 1985 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France match at Central Park, Wigan on Sunday 6 October 1985.[2]
Mike Ford played Scrum-half/Halfback in Castleford Tigers' 33-2 victory over Wigan in the 1993–94 Regal Trophy final at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 22 January 1994.[3]
He retired in 2001 as player-coach of Oldham RLFC after guiding them to the championship Grand Final. Whilst at Oldham, he started coaching rugby union at Dukinfield RUFC for 5 seasons winning a cup and two promotions. He left Oldham RLFC to take over as Defensive Co-ordinator of Ireland in January 2002 and stayed for 4 seasons winning a triple crown and guiding Ireland to 3rd in the world rankings. In September 2004 he started working as a defence and skills coach at Saracens F.C., before taking over as head coach in August 2005.
Ford served as a defence coach for the midweek team on the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, remaining undefeated from 7 games (the test side lost the series lost 3-0) and left his position with Ireland in September 2005. He became defence coach of England May 2006.
Rugby World Cup 2007
Ford was part of the coaching team for England at the 2007 RWC. There were a number of reviews into the failures inherent in this RWC campaign including the Rugby Players' Association report, which allowed England's players to give their candid views on the squad's failings anonymously. Here are selected highlights;
“It reached a stage where each time we won a game we joked that we had saved a couple of the coaches’ jobs again.”
“The standard of attack coaching and defence coaching was poor. Substandard to coaching at my club.”
“The coaches seemed to have the same blueprint for every game. They didn’t seem to grasp that every opposition would play differently. Some of the coaches have no feel for the game.”
“The coaches’ philosophy on how to play the game was very different. The coaches really hate each other.”
“It was a tick-the-box, I’m all right Jack mentality.”
“Coaches spoke in generics: ‘play at tempo.’ But then no detail what to do next.”
“Coaches did not put enough trust in players on the field.”
“We had no identity. We weren’t the best at anything and we weren’t encouraged to be.”
“We basically did a bit of everything averagely, trying to cover everything in every training session.”
“They’d had four years to develop a plan and it felt like they were doing it off the cuff.”
“At our club there is a brutally honest policy. If you mess up, you are bollocked and understand you have let your team-mates down. In England there was a no-blame/excuse culture where you swept things under the carpet.”
“If players don’t perform, we get dropped; on the other hand, the coaches just seem to go through an internal review and keep their jobs.”
“We can’t just blame the coaches for the predicament we got in. Look at France, they couldn’t stand their coach and they almost won the World Cup.”
“It wasn’t Johno, it was that Johno was surrounded by the wrong people.”
“He’s (Johnson) incredibly loyal. The coaches aren’t stupid. They all make sure they get on very well with Johno.”.[4]
The England playing record with Mike Ford as defence coach is;[5]
Played 68, Won 34, Lost 33, Drawn 1,
Against 3N, Played 22, Won 4, Lost 18
Least points conceded in 2009 Six Nations (70) and least tries conceded in the 2010 Six Nations (5), Least tries conceded in the pool stages of the 2011RWC
Currently on the coaching staff at Bath Rugby.
Ford is a Castleford Tigers Hall Of Fame Inductee.[6]
Two of his sons currently play rugby union, George Ford plays for Leicester Tigers and Joe Ford for Leeds Carnegie.
References
- ^ "BBC Sport, 21 Dec 2011". BBC. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "1985 Tour Match: Wigan 14 New Zealand 8". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "Wigan 2 - 33 Castleford". thecastlefordtigers.co.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "The Telegraph, Tuesday 23 November 2011". Telegraph. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ "Scrum.com, 11 Jun 2006 -to- 8 Oct 2011". Espn Scrum.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "Hall of Fame at castigers.com". castigers. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
External links
- 1965 births
- Castleford Tigers players
- England national rugby league team players
- English rugby league players
- English rugby union coaches
- Great Britain national rugby league team players
- Leigh Centurions players
- Living people
- Oldham Roughyeds players
- People from Oldham
- Rugby league halfbacks
- South Queensland Crushers players
- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats players
- Wigan Warriors players