Shaun Edwards showed true colours with constant phone calls to Wales star
Former Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards showed his true colours while Ellis Jenkins was injured.
Playing against South Africa in 2018, with a place in the World Cup the following year almost guaranteed, Jenkins was cleaned out by Eben Etzebeth and Handre Pollard while attempting a jackal in the final throes of the Test match against South Africa in Cardiff. The former Cardiff Rugby man fell awkwardly, suffering a significant anterior cruciate ligament injury.
This kept him out of rugby for 28 months, with three operations and constant rehabilitation. It massively impacted his rugby career, and it was during this time that his defence coach Edwards showed exactly why he is respected by so many players.
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Speaking on the latest episode of BBC Scrum V's The Warm Up, Jenkins appeared on a panel alongside Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan 'Foxy' Davies. The latter two were discussing when Edwards would write a player's number on the whiteboard in the changing rooms after a game, along with a comment on how they played.
"That's the side of Shaun that everyone knows about," explained Jenkins. "But while I was injured, I saw a very different side to him. Obviously, I got injured defending for Wales. I wouldn't say he was upset, but he was very aware of that, he acknowledged that after the game.
"I was out for two and a half years and he would ring me every six weeks. Whether he had an alarm set on his phone or something, I don't know. It would be like half six in the morning just waking up, thinking I'm dreaming: 'Shaun Edwards?', the calls would last 10 seconds.
"He'd be like: 'All right, mate? How are you doing?'. I'd say: 'Yeah, not too bad, struggling a bit', he'd respond: 'Keep your head up pal, need you back'. And then - gone, he'd hang up, wouldn't say bye or anything, just gone!
"That continued, even after he'd left Wales and gone to France, he'd still be doing the same thing. That's something that no one would really know about. But he has got a very soft side to him, Shaun."
"He definitely cares," added Foxy. "He does care so much.
"That's something that while I was playing, while I was fit, I didn't really need that. But when you're injured for a long time you can feel a little bit lonely at times. It was definitely nice to know that you were still on his mind."
Host Lauren Jenkins went on to suggest that Edwards deserves to be mentioned as a candidate for the head coach role, with (Ellis) Jenkins believing that he would want to take on the job.
Jenkins retired at the end of the 2023/2024 season at the age of 31. He earned 15 caps for Wales and played 147 times for Cardiff, and never truly recovered from that horror injury suffered in 2018, with the issue still requiring "continued management".
He was billed as Alun Wyn Jones' long-term successor as Wales captain by Wales legend Sam Warburton, but injury prevented him from reaching those starry heights.
You can listen to the full episode of The Warm Up by clicking here.
