Sean Long has returned to rugby union, after landing his first coaching role since parting ways with Championship side Oldham in November.
Long departed the club to the surprise of many, with Oldham later revealing they thought they had underperformed, despite finishing fourth in their first season back in the second tier after promotion.
He will return to Premiership Rugby side Harlequins, the side he has history at in his career. He was on their coaching ranks between 2019 and 2020, but made the switch back to league to take up a role with Leeds Rhinos.
A former Great Britain international and a 324-time St Helens appearance maker, Long will now join the 15-man code yet again, after claiming that he has “unfinished business” within the sport.
In an interview with ‘The Rugby Paper‘ confirming his new role, Long revealed it was a current British and Irish Lions player who helped him seal his return.
He said: “I always keep a close eye on rugby union and have kept in touch with Marcus Smith from my first spell at Harlequins. Marcus will ring me up for advice about his game and we just bounce ideas off each other really.
“I then went down to Harlequins to do some CPD [Continuing Professional Development] and spent a day with them. A lot of the staff are still here from before, except Jason Gilmore who is now the senior coach.
“I’ve got a bit of unfinished business at Quins and my first spell here definitely helped me when I went back to league with Leeds Rhinos.”
Upon returning to league ahead of 2021, he has held roles with the Rhinos, Featherstone Rovers and Oldham, where of course he was most recently, before the Roughyeds opted for a change.
Long has also been on the coaching staff of France and Samoa at international level.
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