1
League legend Sean Long has been linked with a cross-code switch to two separate Premiership club.
The Saint Helens assistant coach enjoyed a decorated career in League, but it seems a lucrative switch to union is now on the cards.
ADVERTISEMENT
The first club Long was linked with is Gloucester. Speaking on The Rugby Pod, former Ireland international Darren Cave suggested Long’s pre-existing relationship with Danny Cipriani may sway him towards the Cherry and Whites.
“I’ve heard he’s done some work at Gloucester and D Cips insisted that he be brought in to do their phase sort of shape,” said Cave. “He’s basically come in and said that he needs someone to be on the forwards about their running lines flat out and he can’t be doing it as a 10 and they need to bring in Sean Long.”
Long has also been heavily linked with Harlequins, whom The Mirror believe have beaten Gloucester to the signature.
They report that Long will sign for Harlequins in coming weeks, where he will work under Paul Gustard, who lead Quins to a fifth place finish this year.
While he is a legend in league, he does have some experience in the fifteen man game. He represented a Northern Hemisphere XV in a Help For Heroes Rugby Challenge at Twickenham in 2011. In 2016 he played against Gloucester for the Salford Red Devils, which saw the league side run out 49-41 in a literal game of two halves – one played in union, the other in league.
Long won two World Club Challenges, four Grand Finals and five Challenge Cups as well as being named Lance Todd winner three times.
ADVERTISEMENT
He left in 2009 to join Hull FC and then coached at Wigan before assisting at Salford and Samoa.
Long scored 2,625 points for Saints in a career that spanned more than 330 games.
