The making of Simon Middleton, from a glass factory to creating a Sir Alex Ferguson-like aura

After early career setbacks, the Red Roses coach has a chance to lead England to World Cup glory at a sold-out Eden Park

Almost three decades have passed since a skinny 18-year-old Simon Middleton turned up to a coaching masterclass run by Wayne Smith. Middleton was a whippersnapper of a winger for Knottingley RUFC at the time and, from a rickety wooden stand, marvelled at the All Blacks coaching guru at work.

On Saturday, Middleton’s coaching journey will come full circle when he pits his wits against his idol Smith in a sold-out Eden Park for the women’s World Cup final. The man who honed his coaching craft in the rugby heartlands of Yorkshire and has fashioned the England women’s team into a record-breaking side will come face to face with New Zealand’s ‘professor’ in his own back yard. The stage is set, and the stakes could not be higher – England must lift the trophy and make their 30-Test winning streak count for something.

Middleton’s coaching career is a tale of grit and hard work, shaped from humble beginnings on a factory floor. He juggled his eight-year rugby league playing career at Castleford Tigers – scoring 82 tries in 170 appearances – with a glassware job, embodying the same grafting spirit that would later distinguish him as one of the greatest modern coaches in the game. 

He was still in the glassware business during his first foray into coaching at Leeds Tykes (formerly Carnegie) where he worked alongside Stuart Lancaster in the early noughties. When he eventually went for a full-time role as Leeds’ defence coach, Middleton had to present his defensive philosophy to the senior coaching team. It blew Lancaster away.