Long: "I am looking forward to working with Richard Agar again after our time at Hull"
Monday 26 October 2020 08:19, UK
Sean Long will swap Harlequins for Leeds Rhinos as he prepares to become assistant coach to Richard Agar for the 2021 Super League season.
The 44-year-old former Great Britain international makes his return to the thirteen-man code from Gallagher Premiership side Quins, where he had been part of the coaching team since July 2019 until he left at the start of October.
Capped 21 times by his country, Long began his playing career at Wigan before a brief spell at Widnes ahead of the move to St Helens, where he won every honour in the game.
Long won five Challenge Cups, four Super League Grand Finals and two World Club titles during his 12-year playing career with Saints - and will attempt to bring further success to the Rhinos, the current Challenge Cup holders.
"I am looking forward to working with Richard Agar again after our time at Hull," Long said. "I have a massive amount of respect for Leeds as a club.
"They are one of biggest clubs in the world and as soon as I got the call off Kev and Rich, it was a no brainer to join."
He began his coaching career with Salford in 2011, initially working with Matt Parrish, who he was subsequently assistant coach to with Samoa at the 2013 and 2017 Rugby League World Cups.
In 2014, Long returned to St Helens as assistant coach to former team-mate Keiron Cunningham and then Justin Holbrook before leaving Saints five years later to join Quins.
"I have kept in touch with Rich over the years, he is a good friend, and he asked me to come in and look at some of the structures he was implementing for this season," Long added.
"I tweaked a few things and the boys really took it on board. I loved getting back on the field and coaching Rugby League. I know all the boys and I really enjoyed it.
"I have been watching them throughout the season and how they have implemented those ideas and it has been good to see how Rich has stayed on top of it and the team have gone from strength to strength.
"I am looking forward to working with the half backs at the Rhinos. It is a massive part of what I do. As an ex half back, I want to pass on what I have learnt to them and hopefully we can all get to a better place as a team.
"Game management, the kicking game and reading defences is something that excites me.
"Leeds have always had great young players coming through and I am looking forward to developing them but also working with top-class talent like Luke Gale, Rob Lui and Richie Myler."
