Mike Forshaw

Michael Forshaw (born 5 January 1970) is an English rugby union coach, and former professional rugby league and rugby union player. He is currently the defence coach for the Wales national rugby union team.

Mike Forshaw
Personal information
Born (1970-01-05) 5 January 1970
Wigan, Lancashire, England
Playing information
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight15 st 8 lb (99 kg)
PositionSecond-row, Loose forward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1987–93 Wigan 41 6 0 0 24
1993–95 Wakefield Trinity 44 8 0 0 32
1995–96 Leeds 41 10 0 0 40
1997–03 Bradford Bulls 199 42 0 0 168
2004 Warrington Wolves 23 6 0 0 24
Total 348 72 0 0 288
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1997–03 Great Britain 14 0 0 0 0
2000 England 3 0 0 0 0
Lancashire
Coaching information
Rugby league
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2004–06 Warrington Wolves (Strength & Conditioning)
2006–10 Wigan Warriors (Strength & Conditioning)
Total 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2010–13 Connacht Rugby (Defence Coach)
2013–23 Sale Sharks (Defence Coach)
Total 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2023– Wales (Defence Coach)
Source: [1][2][3][4]

Forshaw began his playing career with Wigan in 1987 and went on to play for Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Bulls and Warrington Wolves. He played 14 times for Great Britain and 3 for England.

Background

Forshaw was born on 5 January 1970 in Wigan, Lancashire.

He had a brief stint at Saracens F.C. (RU), and was briefly the Player Performance Lifestyle Advisor for the Rugby Football League.

Playing career

Rugby league

During the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season, Forshaw played for defending champions Wigan from the interchange bench in their 1991 World Club Challenge victory against the visiting Penrith Panthers.

In 1997 he was named in the Super League Dream Team.[5] In the 1997 post season, Forshaw was selected to play for Great Britain in two matches of the Super League Test series against Australia. Forshaw won caps for Great Britain while at Bradford Bulls in 1997 against Australia (ASL) (2 matches) (interchange/substitute), in 1998 against New Zealand (interchange/substitute), in 1999 against New Zealand (interchange/substitute), in 2001 against France (interchange/substitute), and Australia (3 matches), in 2002 against New Zealand (3 matches), and in 2003 against Australia (2 matches), and Australia (interchange/substitute).[4]

Forshaw played for Bradford Bulls from the interchange bench in the 1999 Super League Grand Final which was lost to St. Helens. Forshaw won caps for England while at Bradford Bulls in 2000 against Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.[3] Forshaw played for the Bradford Bulls as a loose forward in their 2001 Super League Grand Final victory against the Wigan Warriors. As Super League VI champions, the Bradford Bulls played against 2001 NRL Premiers, the Newcastle Knights in the 2002 World Club Challenge. Forshaw played as a loose forward in Bradford's victory. Forshaw played for the Bradford Bulls as a loose forward in their 2002 Super League Grand Final loss against St. Helens. Forshaw played for the Bradford Bulls as a loose forward in their 2003 Super League Grand Final victory against the Wigan Warriors. He signed a one year contract with Warrington Wolves for the 2004 season.[6]

Coaching career

Rugby league

After retiring from playing in 2004 he rejoined Warrington to look after Strength & Conditioning of the players until November 2006.[7] He returned to his boyhood club and teamed up with his old coach Brian Noble in December 2006 when he took over as strength & conditioning coach for Wigan Warriors.[8]

He studied a BSc part-time at UCLAN following Wigan's sponsorship by UCLAN.

Rugby union

In 2010 Forshaw joined Connacht in the Celtic League as defence coach.[9]

In 2013 he joined Sale Sharks in the same role.[10] Forshaw follows a ‘3D’ approach to the contact area of defence: discipline, detail and decision-making, with a particular focus when within 50m of his team's own try line.[11] In July 2020 Forshaw extended his contract with Sale until the end of the 2022 season.[12]

In 2023, after a decade at Sale, Forshaw was appointed as defence coach for the Wales national team for the 2023 Six Nations Championship.[13]

References
  1. RL Record Keepers' Club
  2. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. Hadfield, Dave (17 September 1997). "Forshaw's dreams come true". The Independent. UK: independent.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  6. "Wolves land Forshaw". BBC Sport. 23 October 2003. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  7. "Forshaw is handed key Wolves role". BBC Sport. 12 May 2005. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  8. "Forshaw takes Wigan coaching role". BBC Sport. 4 November 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  9. "Connacht appoint Defence Coach | Connacht Rugby Official Website". Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  10. "Add Reference Name". salesharks.com. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  11. "Mike Forshaw talks tough to Danny Cipriani and Co". 9 August 2013.
  12. "Sale coaching duo sign new contracts". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  13. "Forshaw and King join Wales senior men's coaching team - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
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