The fact that he hasn’t secured a role in his homeland still bothers Graham Smith, England Women’s most accomplished Six Nations coach, a decade after his contentious departure from the RFU.
Instead of preparing a squad for the upcoming Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign, or assisting the Red Roses, Smith will be in Vantaa, near Helsinki, serving as the head coach of the Estonian men’s national team, overseeing their Rugby Europe Conference contest against Finland.
The shared blue, black, and white flag is essentially the sole similarity between Estonia and Bath, the English Premiership champions. The Estonian team suffered a 120-5 defeat against this Saturday’s opponents five months prior.
Estonia’s position in global rugby is so low that they’re unranked. The Baltic nation’s full membership in World Rugby is pending, thus they do not have a ranking, nor do they receive the privileges afforded to existing members.
So, despite their return to international 15s rugby being earlier than anticipated or desired, as evidenced by recent results, Smith believed they were compelled to pursue it following a prolonged break caused by Covid.
Estonia’s current 14-game losing streak, which began in 2016, must be one of the longest among active international teams. Yet, beyond the harsh reality of international results, Smith, a former Scotland B international and a key figure in Moseley’s successful team of the 1980s, has made substantial headway in enhancing rugby’s standing in the nation.
“I hold the position of Head Coach for Estonian men and women, both sevens and 15s, and I am also the Director of Rugby for Estonian Rugby, and the Head Coach of Tallinn Kalev Rugby Club, which competes in the Finnish Championship due to the absence of a 15s championship in Estonia,” he stated.
“My focus has been on expanding the sport. When I initially arrived, there was no rugby in universities, schools, or any youth system. Now, after three and a half years, we have approximately four or five schools actively engaged in some form of rugby, and rugby is present in the universities.
“This Friday, we anticipate 120 students will be coming to our field to participate in rugby and cricket. Additionally, on October 24th, I will be leading the inaugural teaching training day for rugby in Estonia.
“We are progressing and developing, but on the international platform, it presents a significant challenge. Looking at our last three or four matches, we have suffered defeats ranging from 70 to 120 points.
“I have observed comments on social media suggesting it is unacceptable to permit these games to proceed. However, people fail to grasp the broader context or the significance of participating in international rugby.
“We had intended to join 15s in another year, but we were presented with the opportunity the season before last, and I opted to seize it. It was a significant gamble, and it has indeed proven to be a considerable risk. However, to become members of World Rugby, which we are not yet, we must meet specific criteria. Thus, playing international rugby is of utmost importance to us, and we must accept the consequences.”
While Smith is making strides in constructing Estonian rugby from the ground up, the men’s national team has considerable progress to make before they are considered competitive.
The squad of players embarking on the two-hour ferry journey across the Baltic Sea on Saturday morning for this weekend’s game will closely resemble the one that suffered a 115-point defeat back in May. In fact, the majority were involved prior to Covid, when rugby in Estonia came to an abrupt halt and almost did not resume.
“We are likely the smallest union in Europe in terms of available resources. We adhere to the required number of registered players. We have over a hundred registered, but realistically, the number is around 35, factoring in injuries, unavailability, and other considerations,” Smith explained.
“We are heavily dependent on the veterans to return and represent their nation, which is admirable.
“Paul Davidson, who both plays for Estonia and serves as the team manager, mentioned that 80% of the team that participated in the last 15s game before our return last year, in 2019, will be playing on Saturday.
“There are two interpretations of this, one could argue, ‘They haven’t really recruited anyone during that period’, or one could appreciate that the players are proud to represent their country, and for me, it is more crucial to emphasize the latter.”
Smith commenced his work in Estonia in April 2022, having received an unexpected call from the Union’s president. This occurred at an opportune moment as his contract as coach of London Irish Women had concluded.
“I initially came for a five-month period to coach Kalev Rugby Club following a meeting where they deliberated whether to attempt to sustain rugby in Estonia or disband.
“I joined in April, and things quickly escalated, nearly spiraling out of control. I was in Malta with the men’s sevens and in Serbia with the women’s sevens. At that point, the women’s team only had 12 players, and it was their first international rugby match played in 2022.
“They requested that I extend my stay, and I continued to do so, and now I am a resident of Tallinn. I visit my wife (back in the Midlands) approximately every two to three months.”
Graham Smith is transparent about the fact that financial security is the primary reason he relocated and became the driving force behind Estonian rugby. Early in his coaching career, after being made redundant, he faced bailiffs knocking on the door of his rented accommodation, with his young daughter inside, distressed.
He has endured difficult times, including his dismissal by the RFU, along with Gary Street, shortly after their joint victory in the World Cup in 2014. For this reason, he will remain eternally grateful to Estonian rugby for facilitating this improbable alliance.
“As part of the procedure, I had to undergo an interview with the Estonian Olympic Committee to obtain my registration as an Estonian coach. I was required to justify why I believed I was deserving of this recognition, and initially, they stated, ‘we are familiar with your CV, but we know nothing about rugby’. So, I walked them through my experience, and they inquired, ‘so, how did you end up here?
“The simple explanation is that my contract with London Irish had concluded, and this was the first opportunity that presented itself. My response is straightforward when people ask why I desire the job; I state it is for the financial compensation, and the reason I seek financial compensation is to ensure the financial security of my family in the future.
“I communicated that they should compensate me according to my worth, and I would dedicate my utmost effort to the job. I do not question my presence here; I persevere, I experience moments of mental fatigue, because being separated from one’s family is challenging. However, I am in a position where I can provide for my family, and I will be forever indebted to Estonian rugby for that; they have appreciated me more than the 20 years I dedicated to the RFU.
“So, I do not contemplate why I am here; the question I pose is why I cannot secure a position in my own country with my qualifications?”
Smith is among a select group of coaches who have completed the RFU’s now-discontinued Level 5 qualification, alongside esteemed individuals such as Stuart Lancaster, Phil Davies, and Nigel Redman.
He began coaching England Women in 2003 and has secured more Six Nations titles and Grand Slams than any other coach.
“I remain the most successful Six Nations coach; no one has surpassed my achievements with England Women. I maintain contact with Gary (Street) whenever possible. He shares the same record as Simon Middleton, and I have one more medal than both of them. I have obtained seven Six Nations titles, and six Grand Slams as part of that. I doubt anyone will ever exceed that record.
“I am not expressing this out of bitterness; this has been a topic of discussion for many years,” he added.
“I harbor no animosity towards John Mitchell. I know John, and I wish him well with whatever he achieves following the World Cup. However, if people are advocating for John Mitchell to be knighted, they should first knight Gary Street.”
Smith has considerably more modest aspirations this weekend. Success for him would involve narrowing the significant score gap between Estonia and Finland. Achieving a second-half point against the Finns for the first time in history would be another minor ‘victory’.
“I communicated to the players on Sunday that losing by 120 points is painful, extremely painful. This is not a criticism, but a statement of fact: during the three-and-a-half years that I have been involved in Estonian rugby, I have lost more games than in the previous 20 years of my coaching career. It is disheartening, but it is a necessary step to try and move forward.
“Game plans are valuable, but ineffective if not executed. The initial step is to fight for your country, metaphorically, and doing so provides an opportunity to achieve a result.
“Saturday’s game will be challenging. However, we will exert our best effort to determine how we can reduce that 120-point deficit.”
