Every day I like to jump online and do my rounds of all of my favorite Rugby League news sources.
I hit up the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, the Sydney Morning Herald, I sometimes see if the Australian and anything good to read, and then I’ll take a quick look at the BBC. Then I head on over to News Now, which is basically a new feed for a lot of different Rugby League news sources.
That is where this headline caught my eye from a UK publication: “Harris gets top coach recognition”
Now, I’m thinking the only Harris in coaching I can think of is Iestyn Harris. However he is just an assistant coach for the Bridgend/South Wales/Wrexham Crusaders, so how could he be winning coaching awards?
An over excited Welsh sporting commission perhaps?
Rugby League World magazine, come on down!
These idiots have come out and named Iestyn Harris the International Coach of the year!
Now, in case you were like 99.99999% of the Rugby League community who don’t know, Harris coaches Wales.
Its probably too much of a stretch for say Tim Sheens to win the award after guiding Australia to a crushing win over England in the Four Nations Final.
How about Tony Smith for taking a rotten to the Core England team, gutting it, finding a few half decent youngsters and giving them a go, and going from hopeless to the Four Nations Final?
Bobby Goulding taking the ten best team in the world, France, turning them around seemingly over night to the point where they really only lost against England because they don’t yet have a high enough level of endurance?
I’d even throw in David Fairleigh, who took the Cook Islands from no where, beat power house Samoa, then World Cup semi finalists Fiji, on their way to the final of the Pacific Cup.
Right there you have four candidates who without any shadow of a doubt made a huge difference to their teams through their coaching.
To be fair though, Harris did help Wales to surge to wins over powerhouses like Scotland (28-16), Ireland (42-12), Serbia (88-8) as well as a big loss to England (48-12).
Hell, that sounds like a coaching master class to me!
Look, I’m not going to tell you about credibility, I’m not going to tell you about ignorance of what happens south of London. I’m not even going to tell you about wasting money on a publication that employs people that think Iestyn Harris is the best International coach in 2009.
All I’m saying is, the evidence is stacking up.
These people are idiots!
