When the Broncos sacked Anthony Seabold in 2020, his NRL coaching future looked bleak, let alone the possibility of tackling international rugby.
But England coach Eddie Jones has never been afraid to think outside the box, and so Seabold is now tasked with stopping the Wallabis attack in the July three-Test series.
“Eddie is a big fan of South Sydney and he was impressed with how we were able to turn things around and have some success there,” England defense coach Seabold Stan told Sports. Rugby heaven.
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“I was quite embarrassed at how everything went in the Bronx and you obviously want to succeed. He contacted me a few weeks later and said ‘Look, do you want to do some projects for us?’ That’s how it all started.
“It’s a great challenge but a really good experience.”
Seabold signed a two-year deal in 2021 that took him to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
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Former Wallabies Justin Harrison and Morgan Turinui quickly warned Sebold that his workload and stress levels were going to go through the roof under the infamous Jones.
“It’s an intense but brilliant program,” Seabold said of an England set-up that reached the 2019 World Cup final.
“It’s very different from a rugby league environment that can be very uncomfortable. I’ve learned more from my failures than from my successes. There are some things I can do differently, some things I’ll do the same.
“It wasn’t a lot of fun at the time (in the Broncos) but I dusted myself off and the experience with England was interesting and fruitful. I’m a really curious person and I didn’t come to rugby with any real rugby skills.”
Seabold said Wallabis center Samu Kerevi had a clear focus on series preparation because of his ability to dent his defense.
“The way Kerevy made the pace at the Rugby Championships was outstanding,” Sebold said, referring to his work with England’s whiskey-kid Marcus Smith.
“Marcus has a real growth mentality, always sending me his defense clips on WhatsApp because there’s some room for growth in that part of his game. I like it about Marcus.”
Seabold said the tour of Australia with England would be “unrealistic” and “strange”.
The team was trying to balance its traditional set-piece and defensive strength by adding more offensive strings to their bows.
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He said that despite his recent struggles in the NRL, the world has welcomed some big names in rugby.
“I was pretty weak about that first campaign… the Broncos experience but they finally knew enough about me that they knew I was there for the right reason,” Seabold said.
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