Former England international scrum-half Danny Care and ex-Wales captain Sam Warburton have put together their ranking of the greatest coaches of the Six Nations era.
Former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt comes in at number five, while Warren Gatland - who coached Ireland in the first two years of the Six Nations - comes in at some number three for his feats with Wales.
Interestingly, the man Care and Warburton place at number one is not a head coach. The pair did the ranking on the BBC 5 Live Rugby Union Daily podcast.
Six Nations greatest coaches ranking
6. Eddie Jones (England)
Danny Care: I think he's found himself a little bit further down the list because of the fact we didn't win that final game to Grand Slam [in 2017]. If we did back-to-back slams, I think Eddie goes further up the list. Eddie in the Six Nations, 66 per cent win ratio. In the first two championships he was in, it was 90 per cent. Since then, it's 57 per cent. He was great when I was there, is the thing we take from that!
Sam Warburton: I think of the guys in the top six, that is the lowest win ratio. He won some great titles but a little bit of inconsistency in between.
5. Joe Schmidt (Ireland)
SW: A 70 per cent win ratio. Three titles in six years coaching Ireland is very good going. Won a Grand Slam.
4. Clive Woodward (England)
DC: 80 per cent win ratio in the Six Nations. Three trophies in four years with a slam in '03 alongside the World Cup. A very dominant period for English rugby.
SW: Clive Woodward does have the highest win ratio of the people in the top six, but we're factoring in longevity.
DC: He didn't stick around long enough after the glory. He was too busy on the after dinner circuit! Who can blame him? A man after my own heart.
3. Warren Gatland (Ireland and Wales)
SW: 72 per cent win ratio. 60 games, which is crazy. He's had 12 years at the helm of Wales, three Grand Slams. Probably would have been in that '13 win but obviously wasn't there [because he was Lions head coach] but it was his blueprint.
DC: Three slams in 12 years is incredible. Like you say, if he wasn't swanning off with the Lions, and not picking me again, he could have been higher. Who's laughing now, Warren? You still, and your mountain of cash.
SW: Gats is laughing from his beach house in New Zealand.
2. Bernard Laporte (France)
DC: A slam in '02, '04, winner in '06 and '07. Four championships in eight years with a 75 per cent win ratio in the Six Nations. It's an incredible record.
1. Shaun Edwards (Wales and France)
SW: This is a little bit leftfield because he's not a head coach, but this is why: He's been coaching in the Six Nations for 15 years running. I'm going to stick my neck on the line because I think France are going to win a Grand Slam. That would mean he's done a '08 slam, '12 slam, '13 win, '19 slam, '22 slam. In 15 years, he'll have had five titles. The longevity and in two different environments as well.
DC: I fully agree. And I say again, he is English, it would be great to see and hear him at some point coaching England.
Featured images: Sportsfile
See Also: Cipriani Says England 'Heavily Outcoached' In Six Nations Loss To Ireland
