Shaun Edwards' case pushed for job he'd love as Welsh chances bluntly dismissed
Former France defence coach Dave Ellis has explained Shaun Edwards "would love" to go on the British & Irish Lions tour this summer.
Edwards will have been incredibly proud of France's performance against Wales, not conceding a single point against them in a 43-0 hammering in Paris, albeit against his former side.
The legendary defence guru recently spoke to The Times recently, explaining that if Andy Farrell gave him the call for the Lions tour, he'd swim to Australia for it.
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Of course, ex-Wales and Lions head coach Warren Gatland left him out of every tour he was in charge of, so the English northerner hasn't been involved since Sir Ian McGeechan selected him in 2009.
"I know he’d love to go. I know there’s still a fishbone stuck in his throat that Warren Gatland didn’t take him on a Lions tour," said Ellis to RugbyPass.
"The way Wales are defending it won’t be anyone from there. I don’t think he will be taking anybody from England. Scotland? Perhaps. Steve Tandy did the job in South Africa last time but Andy Farrell has got the option of Simon Easterby who he has worked well with in Ireland and Easterby has been a Lions player himself.
"If they were going to play South Africa or the All Blacks it would be a call [to Edwards] that would be worth making. You’d want all the best people on board. But, no disrespect to Australia, Andy might want to keep it in-house and just stick with people he has worked with recently.
"When I didn’t get the opportunity in 2005 I went to work for New Zealand. I wonder, if the same thing happens to Shaun again, if he’ll go and do what I did with the opposition."
A Six Nations campaign is as much of an audition for coaches as it is for players, and Edwards surely hasn't damaged his chances after nilling Wales at the Stade de France last weekend.
However, Wales are in dire straits right now, and big performances against them should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt. Edwards and France will face a far sterner test against England this weekend, returning to the very same ground where they beat them 53-10 two years ago.
