Scaysbrook convinced U20s can challenge for World Cup
ENGLAND U20s coach James Scaysbrook hopes success in this year's Junior World Cup will underpin his unconventional ascent towards the top of the coaching tree.
Former Bath and Exeter flanker Scaysbrook ended his playing career in 2015, after which he eschewed the traditional pathway in favour of an Asian rugby adventure that took him to Hong Kong and Japan before assuming his current role with the RFU.
After cutting his teeth coaching Cleeve RFC, Plymouth and Exeter University while still contracted to the Chiefs, he spent three years as head coach of Hong Kong-based Kowloon before enjoying a season in Japan's Top League with the Toyota Shuttles
Scaysbrook, 37, told The Rugby Paper: “I'd been preparing to go into coaching for a while and (Exeter rugby director) Rob Baxter was really good in letting me spend half a season pretty much full-time at Plymouth while helping Cleeve and the University.
“I had three full seasons at Kowloon, reaching two semi-finals and a final, and then going to Japan was a completely different culture again and a step up.
“The challenge with the language probably helped me the most because it meant you had to be really concise with getting your points across. Both experiences were fantastic and I think people would be surprised by the standard of rugby in Hong Kong.”
Scaysbrook believes Asian rugby is ready to catch fire and says the creation of the mooted Indo-Pacific competition involving teams from Japan, China, Singapore Malaysia, Australia and the Pacific Islands from 2021 would give the region a huge boost.
He said: “Rapid Rugby has just started, involving the Western Force, and is at a preliminary stage, but rugby's a growing sport in Asia and there's certainly a lot of interest in Hong Kong. It will be a very exciting league if it gets off the ground.”
Scaysbrook's involvement with the England U20s stems from the RFU's desire to get aspiring coaches on their international pathway.
Although England lost tight matches to Ireland and Wales to finish third in this year's U20 Six Nations, he insists they are ready for a World Cup assault.
He added: “We'd have liked to have won all our matches, obviously, but in terms of what we wanted to get out of the Six Nations, we managed to use 39 players, with 24 of those new to the team this year, and managed to create some real depth.
“We've got some big selection headaches now so the match we've arranged against South Africa in later this month will give us a chance to look at guys again. We'll have a really strong squad going to Argentina for the World Cup, with others to call upon.”
If the right opportunity presents itself, Scaysbrook – a fierce competitor as a player – hopes to coach in the Premiership or Championship next season.
“I'm just weighing-up what opportunities are available”, he added. “I'm back in the UK after four years away developing myself and doing something a bit different, so it's the right time to return and I'm very driven to make a success of coaching.”
