It was back in 2010 when Andy Farrell hopped in the car to give Richard Wigglesworth a tour of St Albans. He showed him the cafes, the houses, the plush surroundings just outside of London. His best pitch to convince the 26-year-old scrum-half to leave Manchester for Saracens.
‘I’d come down from Sale and didn’t expect to sign, but he along with the others were really persuasive,’ recalls Wigglesworth. ‘Andy had shown me round where you might live. I remember getting out of the car and the last thing he said was, “Wiggy, have you got the balls to do it?” I was like, “Yeah, I have!” That was my first memory of Big Faz.’
When Farrell called Wigglesworth last Monday, asking him to join his Lions coaching team, it was a significantly easier sell. ‘I bit his hand off before he needed to do any convincing. I was back on my duty after the Six Nations and my five-year-old, Margot, was wanting to play outside.
‘I was throwing the ball around with her and saw Faz’s name pop up and thought, “Let’s answer this”. He eventually got to it and, yeah, I think there were a fair few expletives. It was an incredible moment.’
As a player, Farrell was desperate to recruit Wigglesworth because he was one of the game’s most astute tacticians. He would steer Saracens through their glory days, guiding them to Premiership and European trophies with his ruthlessly effective kicking game.
His feel for the game was so sharp that it was like having an extra coach on the pitch. The sort of rugby student who would spend hours studying footage of every single pass. A work ethic he has previously credited to his farming father.
Richard Wigglesworth has been picked as the sole England coach for this year’s Lions tour
Even in his playing days Wigglesworth was an astute tactician, steering Saracens to success
His coaching career began while he was still in his playing days, taking a role with Canada
Despite breaking the Premiership appearance record and winning 33 England caps, Wigglesworth was never called up by the Lions. He did not have the pace or power of the likes of Mike Phillips, Ben Youngs and Conor Murray. Instead, his time would come as a coach.
During the 2019 World Cup, he took on a role with Canada, whilst still playing for Saracens. His next move was to take on a player-coach role with Leicester.
‘He would coach a whole session and then stay out for an extra hour to run, pass and kick,’ recalls former Tigers colleague Matt Everard.
‘Sometimes he would coach half a session and train half a session. Other times he would coach the whole thing and stay out for hours afterwards to stay fit, just in case he played. It was so impressive. On top of that, he was commuting down from Manchester, spending a night or two in the hotel at Welford Road.’
Wigglesworth played his final match little over two years ago, bowing out with little fanfare. His retirement was triggered mid-season, when Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield were recruited by England, meaning Wigglesworth became Leicester’s head coach overnight.
‘I saw him getting quite teary after the Clermont game, when we were told Steve and Kev were leaving,’ adds Everard. ‘Everyone thought he was just upset because Kev and Steve were leaving but deep down he knew. He called me the next day and said he’s going to have to retire… it was only a couple of weeks later that he told me that’s the reason he was crying.
‘There was a lot of noise about those guys going to England and the fact Wiggy had to retire went completely under the radar. No one mentioned it. This bloke had won more Premierships than anyone else, ever, played more times in the Premiership than anyone else and he just quietly hung his boots up.
‘He didn’t get a farewell game, didn’t get a testimonial, didn’t get any big send-off but he didn’t make any fuss about it. In his first team meeting, he didn’t even mention it. It was all about how he wanted to lead the group and that sums him up.
Andy Farrell took Wigglesworth on a tour of St Albans in 2010 – the latter’s earliest memory of the Lions head coach
Former Leicester colleague Matt Everard describes him as an energetic and positive coach
‘He is one of the most positive, energetic coaches I’ve come across. He comes in every day with positive energy and it doesn’t dip. He’s so consistent with it. As a player, he understood so well how to manipulate an opposition and win territory.
‘When to kick, how to kick, what kind of kick. He did do much analysis. He just has such an easy feel for the game. That experience, work ethic, energy, tactical nous meant he was always going to be a brilliant coach.’
Things have moved quickly. Now 41, Wigglesworth’s hard work in the coaching field is reaping rewards. One day, no doubt, he will step up from his assisting roles to take over the hot seat, although his immediate focus is on helping Farrell narrow down a 75-man shortlist for May’s Lions squad announcement.
The job has already started and Borthwick, England’s head coach, has given him his blessing. ‘Steve was awesome,’ says Wigglesworth. ‘He knew before me but was obviously waiting for me to get the call and offer from Andy. He was delighted for me.
‘He’s been a big part of my coaching journey so l thanked him for that. I’ll be picking his brains on what it looks like, but he did say that one of his rugby highlights was coaching the Lions as an assistant, so I’m looking forward to catching up with him about that. This is the pinnacle.’
The tour of St Albans worked out well. Next up, a tour of Australia.
