Not too long ago exited England defence coach Anthony Siebold has given his tackle his time underneath Eddie Jones and England.

Seibold joined Jones’ teaching crew in 2021 after a spell teaching in Australia’s Nationwide Rugby League (NRL). His most up-to-date function earlier than switching to rugby union was as head coach of the Brisbane Broncos.

He was beforehand head coach at South Sydney Rabbitohs, the place he was named the NRL Day by day M coach of the 12 months in 2018 and has coached at quite a lot of golf equipment together with Manly Sea Eagles, Melbourne Storm and Queensland within the State of Origin sequence.

Seibold’s playing career included spells in England with Hull KR and London Broncos, along with Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.

Speaking to retired English rugby league great James Graham on The Bye Round podcast, Seibold said he was taken aback by how well-resourced he was while working for the RFU and how big the game is.

“I sort of had a relationship with Eddie for five years. He’s a massive NRL fan and South Sydney in particular. He tells me stories about the days when he used to go to the SCG with his dad, the Dragons play the Bunnies there, and Saturday afternoons as a kid. He’s come through playing league. He got into rugby in high school. He’s a massive supporter of rugby league.

“We started doing some shared learning [in 2021]. Then once I completed up on the Broncos he was the primary to supply me a task. About two weeks later he mentioned I’d love so that you can do some consulting for me on some particular initiatives, he known as it.

“For about eight months earlier than I went full-time with him I used to be doing consulting for Eddie. I used to be rugby, with a rugby league lense. Like think about you’re nation rugby league in opposition to Eire, how would you break them down? How would you defend their shapes.”

Siebold finally got here on full-time as defence coach when John Mitchell left for Wasps having apparently had sufficient of working underneath Jones.

“It’s unimaginable, I’ve acquired to say I didn’t realise how large rugby (union) was in England, I had an inkling from having frolicked in England as a participant and once I first began teaching, however each recreation at Twickenham had 82,000 so it’s like an Origin recreation each single check match that’s most likely the closest method I can describe.

“You come into the bottom [Twickenham] and pull the bus up and there’s simply 1000’s and 1000’s of individuals.

“Then we went and performed in Paris, I introduced my spouse over for that recreation. There have been 83,000 in Paris. I’d by no means heard a noise prefer it. The loopy French supporters have been going beserk as a result of they have been going for a Grand Slam in Six Nations.

“Went to Edinburgh within the Six Nations. There have been 65,000 on the recreation, getting abused by Scottish supporters as we have been strolling into the bottom. It was an occasion each week, it was like Origin each single week, each Check.

“I did 15 Exams with England and it was an Origin-like expertise each build-up.”

Seibold was additionally taken about by how well-resourced the crew have been.

“You don’t need for something, it’s a really skilled set-up. We had every thing. Our personal chef, our personal safety. It’s elite stage sport on the very very highest stage after which Eddie along with his consideration to element, it was a improbable expertise,” mentioned Seibold. “It’s very, very nicely resourced as a result of it’s elite stage sport. It’s a worldwide recreation.

“The factor that I observed was that the very best eight or 9 groups, I used to be lucky sufficient to teach in opposition to all ten top-ranked sides and possibly the highest seven groups can beat one another on any given day.

“There’s a very large cluster of groups. The primary crew to interrupt that cluster has a very good probability of occurring and profitable the Rugby World Cup.”