Denis Betts: Wigan Warriors women's head coach on The Bench podcast ahead of Leeds Rhinos double-header

When Denis Betts was approached by his former Wigan Warriors team-mate Kris Radlinski to take over as head coach of the club’s women’s team, the former England captain was left wondering whether he really wanted to step back into a top job.

The circumstances surrounding the end of his tenures in charge at Widnes Vikings and Newcastle Thunder had left something of a sour taste in the 54-year-old's mouth, yet his desire to get back working with players on the training ground proved too strong.

It is a decision Betts was immediately glad he had made, enthused by the attitude of the Warriors players which took him back to his time in charge of Wigan's men's academy and, speaking to The Bench podcast, he revealed why he has such a passion for coaching.

"I was thinking, 'Do I want to do this again?' But I love to coach more than anything.

"I'd spent a couple of years at Newcastle as director of rugby... and got away from what I actually was, which is someone who loves being on the grass and around the players," Betts told VidSport Live.

"The game is easy - I've been doing this since I was nine and I've got through trends of play and how systems work. Dealing with people and their personalities and having the desire to help and make them better, that's essentially what coaching is.

"When I came in with the girls, I saw they just loved the game, and it was really refreshing. It was like going back to when I started coaching the academy here in 2002 when they just wanted to learn and get better, and the girls are the same."

Betts was one of the stars of Wigan's all-conquering team of the late 1980s to mid-1990s, winning six league titles, seven Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenges in his role as a skilful but formidable second row, not to mention earning 32 Great Britain caps and captaining England in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley.

Rather than simply trying to implement everything he took from his professional career, though, the 1995 Man of Steel has gone with a back-to-basics approach since taking charge at Wigan ahead of this year's Betfred Women's Super League season.

The 2018 champions have already secured qualification for the play-offs with one round of the regular season remaining, with Betts having been eager to get the players' views on what they think works best for them as well.

"We just stripped the game right back. We stopped trying to play the game like the men's game and we talked to the girls about how do they want to play, where do they see their skills best suit the team and what we can do?" Betts said.

"We got rid of loads of stuff and went really foundational on how we catch the ball, carry the ball, support the ball. We don't get beaten on the inside shoulder, we support each other and recognise no one individual is more important than the group.

"It was putting some real simple principles in place, and it wasn't about having a big play from the scrum or a tap.

"I stopped setting goals with the girls. We talked about, not being motivated because motivation just wanes, but about having discipline. I just asked them to turn up and train hard."

Wigan get to showcase their skills on the big stage on Friday when they host Leeds Rhinos as part of a women's and men's double-header between both clubs at The Brick Community Stadium, with both matches being shown live on VidSport Live+.

While the Warriors men have their sights on retaining the League Leaders' Shield in the Betfred Super League, the women are aiming to leapfrog the Rhinos in the final round of BWSL regular-season games and could even finish as high as second depending on how reigning champions York Valkyrie fare away to Featherstone Rovers.

Betts is delighted his players will have the opportunity to perform in front of the television cameras and is eager to see more Women's Super League matches being broadcast in what he predicts is a competition with a bright future.

"I'd like to see it more on TV and the chance to have them put themselves out there," Betts said. "Can we get them more out there and show the skills they have got?

"Eventually, I believe it will become something which is desired by thousands of people to watch, and they've got superheroes on the field that the girls who are five, six or seven can look up."

Watch the women's and men's double-header between Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos live on VidSport Live+ from 5.20pm on Friday September 13. Also stream with NOW.