This can go here. From Iain Payten at the SMH:
Seibold thinking: Why an NRL coach views rugby as more friend than foe
March 13, 2024 — 5.00am
It’s fair to say Anthony Seibold has a different relationship to rugby union than most NRL coaches.It’s not just that Seibold coached at the highest level of rugby with the England Test team, after being cut adrift by the Brisbane Broncos in 2020. Or that Seibold’s experience under Eddie Jones “helped re-ignite my love of coaching and my career”, which in turn led to a return to the no-prisoners world of the NRL.
But since taking over at the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the end of 2022, Seibold has done something unusual for an NRL coach; most of whom think of rugby as a rival, if they think about it at all.
Seibold has not only maintained his interest in the 15-man game, he has actively fostered relationships with rugby, and specifically the NSW Waratahs, in the pursuit of finding an edge for the Sea Eagles.
That much was clear when Seibold was spotted in the Waratahs’ coaches’ box last Friday, watching on as NSW lost a thriller in their Super Rugby clash at Allianz Stadium.
After Manly
kicked off round one with a win in Las Vegas, Seibold had a rare free weekend and accepted an invitation into the Waratahs’ inner sanctum from coach Darren Coleman. After Seibold’s visit he returned the courtesy, with Coleman sitting in with Manly during a win over the Bulldogs last season.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold in the back row of the Waratahs’ coaches box, with Jason Gilmore (left) and Darren Coleman (right) in the front row.CREDIT: STAN SPORT
“I really enjoyed it. I felt for the Waratahs because I felt they’d done enough to win,” Seibold said.
“There was a lot to like about how they hung tough, after tough starts to both halves. I enjoyed it. There were a couple of key learnings out of that. Obviously with my background, I really enjoy rugby union.
”I keep a pretty close eye on Super Rugby and Six Nations, and given we had started our year early over in Vegas, I had the weekend off so ‘DC’ [Coleman] offered to return the favour and have me in the box. I was just there doing some PD (professional development) and having a look at how the Tahs prep and see what their comms are like during the game with the coaching staff.
“We are always looking to get better and if there is one thing you can take away from it, it’s a positive.”
Anthony Seibold spent two years with the England rugby team.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
It continued a cross-code coaching relationship forged early last year, when the Sea Eagles and the Waratahs did a combined pre-season training session. The Manly coach and senior Waratahs coach Jason Gilmore have also known each other and traded ideas for 10 years, and the latter spent time in Manly’s training camp recently as an observer.
“I really like the Waratahs coaching staff, we have done a bit together over the last 14-15 months. We did the session last year and also sent over [hooker] Lachlan Croker and Mick Ennis, one of our assistant coaches, to the Tahs to do some work with their nines [halfbacks] in the pre-season,” Seibold said.
Seibold also arranged for the Waratahs to join in a working partnership Manly have with AFL side Carlton, and the Melbourne United NBL team. Coaches regularly visit each other or catch up on Zoom to discuss coaching issues.
At a time when the NRL and Super Rugby are eyeing each other’s stars, Seibold laughs when asked if “no poaching” disclaimers have had to be agreed upon, with all this box swapping and scope for training ground espionage.
Daly Cherry-Evans takes on the Waratahs defence at a combined session in 2022.CREDIT: WARATAHS MEDIA
From the Tahs game, however, he singled out the impact of Izzy Perese – a former charge at the Broncos – and Max Jorgensen, who is being chased by the Roosters. Seibold also liked the work of Triston Reilly, who spent a year at the Wests Tigers.
But Seibold is more interested in poaching rugby tactics than players. Going against a rugby league tide that views rugby’s gameplay as indecipherably foreign, Seibold returned from England with insight into ways it can help a league team.
“A lot of the basic principles in unstructured play are very similar. One of the things for league, and you are starting to see it now, is contestable kicking and contestable drop-outs, that’s been heavily influenced by rugby union. In rugby there are so many more contests. League is a game of continuity, whereas rugby is a game of contest,” Seibold said.
“Things about how do you create contests in league are something I have thought a lot about since I came back.
The Sea Eagles score against the Rabbitohs at Allegiant Stadium.CREDIT: NRL IMAGES
“The other one is, in league probably the last 30 years we have had left and right centres, but in union they don’t do that. So we are trying to find ways where we can unlock our centres [together] and unlock our halves, rather than keep them on the opposite side. That’s where we can get some takeaways from rugby as well.”
Seibold also used his
learning with England to help Manly book ultimately successful travel plans for Las Vegas.
But some things in footy are the same, no matter the code – like pressure on the coach to keep his job. Seibold said he had sympathy for the plight of Coleman, whose future as Waratahs head coach is set to be decided in coming weeks.
“You never want to see another coach under pressure, but DC knows what he is doing mate,” he said.
“He’s a good coach. I am always there to offer support if he wants a chat.”
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