DUAL-CODE coach Jason Strange is going to be busy in the coming months, plotting one club’s defence of a title and the rebuilding of another to be contenders for silverware.
The Ebbw Vale hat will be swapped for a St Helens one this evening when the Super League champions for the past three years get their 2022 campaign under way against Catalans Dragons.
Last Friday Strange was in charge as the Steelmen beat Llanelli 22-12 at Eugene Cross Park and tonight he will carry out his full-time role as Saints kicking coach.
Normally it is league coaches that head to union but the former fly-half headed the other way in a role that has rejuvenated him after a miserable season coaching Cardiff in 2018/19.
“I always said to myself when I finished playing that there were a few things I wanted to do,” said Strange.
“The first was to coach Ebbw Vale, because they are my local club and gave me my first opportunity as a player, the second was to coach Wales at some level, which I have done [as U20s boss].
“The third was to coach in rugby league and I have got one more aim, which I wont say for now but I will hopefully meet that as well.
“In terms of personal development, this has been the best thing that I could have done. I thought that I had a little bit of knowledge before I went up to St Helens but I am almost embarrassed at how little I knew then when it came to breaking down defences and the understanding of the game.
“Every year rugby league teams are putting more and more emphasis on their kicking game because defences are so strong now.
“If you want to build pressure then it normally comes down to how well you kick and the strategies that you have got in place.”
Strange used to go to watch the 13-man game as a teenager with his cousin in the late 1980s, driving up and back in a day to watch Saints or, whisper it quietly to their fans, Wigan.
He’s gone from cheering on from the terraces at Knowsley Road to giving the home faithful plenty to cheer, with great expectations on the squad.
“It’s probably one of the best places in terms of environment and culture that I have seen, it’s an absolute pleasure to go into the training ground,” said Strange.
“Until you have been part of it you don’t understand, it’s just got that winning culture.”
Strange is loving life at Saints but in December he was tempted back to the 15-man game with the Steelmen.
He previously helped the club bounce back from relegation with four titles in Division One East and then the Championship before finishing runners-up on their return to the Premiership.
Strange left in the summer of 2015 for a full-time job with the Welsh Rugby Union and Ebbw took the final step the following season to be crowned Wales’ champions.
Vale have work to do if they are to become contenders again but the head coach is up for the fight.
“It was seven years and there had been a lot of changes at the club but the fabric and the values of the place are still really strong,” he said.
“It was probably one of the few jobs in rugby union that was appealing to me, especially because I have got such a good relationship with the chairman [Jon Jones].
“I have big commitments in St Helens but if I can help get the club to be competitive again then it will be really pleasing.”
Ebbw ended a 10-game losing streak against Llanelli last weekend and don’t have the problem of relegation to worry about with the Premiership ring-fenced until 2023.
"If you want to make quality players then you need quality coaches and we have established that with Geraint Lewis returning as forwards coach, Mathew Williams and Steve Lang," said Strange.
“It was important to get that right this season and then to be honest it will be an opportunity to regenerate the squad.
“It’s almost a case of using the next couple of months to see what we have got and then refresh – the recruitment needs to be right.
“Those who are here can show what they can do over the next few months and this is an opportunity to stake a claim.
“The long-term goals are to win trophies and we need to be challenging at the top again, but this season is more about trying to regain some credibility.
“We need to get some wins and make sure that in pre-season we have the right people at the club with everybody going in the right direction.”
The Ebbw job means that there will be even more work to do on the train from Abergavenny to St Helens but Strange couldn’t be happier.
“When the season starts I will have to split my time but I am someone who just loves being involved in rugby,” he said.
“Jon is really supportive and understands my commitments with St Helens, there will be times when I am not going to be at Ebbw Vale but I will certainly be committed when I am there.”
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