Wigan Warriors urge Shaun Edwards to ‘clarify his intentions’

Wigan Warriors say they are aiming to speak with Shaun Edwards as a matter of urgency following comments made by the 52-year-old over the weekend claiming he is yet to sign a contract with the Super League champions to become their head coach as planned next season.

Edwards remains under contract with Wales as their defence coach until the end of this year’s World Cup in Japan, but agreed last August to return to rugby league with Wigan in 2020 after his time with Wales came to an end.

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However, in the aftermath of their grand slam-winning Six Nations campaign, Edwards said he will technically be unemployed after the World Cup as the Warriors had failed to draft a contract for him to sign to finalise his return to Wigan, with whom he enjoyed a glittering playing career.

“I agreed with Wigan and thought we would sign a contract,” he said. “But then Wigan said: ‘It’s OK, we’ll sign one later,’ and I thought that was unusual. That was nine months ago. I’ll consider all offers, league, union. All I can say is that I haven’t signed anything with anybody.”

Wigan initially declined to comment on Sunday when approached by the Guardian but on Monday, they issued a brief statement. “Wigan Warriors are aware of quotes from Shaun Edwards regarding his future arrangements. Following the conclusion of the Six Nations and Shaun’s comments, we have been seeking dialogue with Shaun directly since Sunday to clarify to Wigan his intentions.”

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It is not the first time Edwards, or Wigan, have cast doubt over his return to league. Last month, Edwards said it was a case of “when and if” he joins Wigan during an interview with BBC Radio Four, while in January the Wigan chairman, Ian Lenagan, admitted Edwards’s return may not happen if his the current coach, Adrian Lam, is a success this year. However, Wigan have won one of their first six league games under Lam and are currently joint-bottom of the Super League table.

Professional rugby league in New York has moved a step closer after the Rugby Football League granted permission for the franchise from the city to present their bid to clubs in the coming weeks. A consortium led by the Huddersfield-based entrepreneur Ricky Wilby is hoping to relocate the Southern Conference side Hemel, having declared their intentions to join the RFL in October 2017, and their entry for 2020 will now be considered.