Ian Millward

Australian professional rugby league coach

Ian Millward

Personal information

Born|  (1960-08-22) 22 August 1960 (age 64)
Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

Coaching information

| Club

Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W%
1998-00  | Leigh Centurions |  |  |  |  |
2000-05  | St Helens | 95  | 71  | 2  | 22  | 75
2005-06  | Wigan Warriors | 12  | 3  | 0  | 9  | 25
2008  | North Queensland Cowboys | 14  | 2  | 0  | 12  | 14
2009-11  | Leigh Centurions |  |  |  |  |
2012-13  | Castleford Tigers | 25  | 6  | 0  | 19  | 24
2015-  | St George Illawarra Dragons (Assistant coach)  |  |  |  |  |
| Total  | 146  | 82  | 2  | 62  | 56

Source: [1]

As of 13 August 2012

Ian "Basil" Millward (born 22 August 1960) is an Australian rugby league coach, occasional pundit and former player. Millward is now the assistant coach of St George Illawarra in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Millward is the former head coach of Wigan, St. Helens, Leigh and Castleford. He was in charge at Wigan from May 2005, his appointment coming just two weeks after an acrimonious departure from the club's fiercest rivals, St Helens. He was sacked by Wigan on 11 April 2006 for their poor start to 2006's Super League XI season – having won just one of eight league games. In October 2006 he returned to Australia. Millward lasted one and a half seasons at Castleford before leaving half-way through the 2013 season.

## Biography

[edit]

Millward was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, and played rugby league for Illawarra Steelers lower grades in his youth, after impressing for the state's schoolboys team. His hopes of a successful playing career were ended when he was forced to retire in 1983 after suffering a serious neck injury.[citation needed]

He turned to coaching, taking up a position with Illawarra Western Suburbs. He also had spells with Wollongong University. In 1997, he was coach of the Steelers reserve grade team, as well as an assistant coach with the first grade Illawarra Steelers side. His first senior appointment came in 1998 when he took charge of struggling English side Leigh, who had then come close to relegation to the game's third tier. He soon transformed Leigh from relegation candidates to promotion contenders, catching the eye of a number of Super League clubs in the process. He moved to St Helens in March 2000[2] after the sacking of Ellery Hanley.

Under Millward, St Helens reached the 2000 Super League Grand Final and defeated Wigan Warriors, retaining their title. He took St Helens to the 2002 Super League Grand Final which they won against the Bradford Bulls. They also won the Rugby League Challenge Cup in 2001 and 2004 and the World Club Challenge in 2001. In 2001 Millward was named Super League Coach of the Year.

His time there was not without controversy, however. His decision to field an under-strength side due, he said, to injuries in a Super League match against Bradford, just a week before the Challenge Cup Final backfired badly. The move incurred the wrath of the game's authorities and St Helens were beaten in the final by Wigan, when all the injured players returned.[citation needed]

He repeated the trick in another match against Bradford over Easter 2004, claiming a heavy fixture burden had taken its toll. St Helens were well beaten in the game at Odsal Stadium and the fall-out overshadowed the rest of the club's season. It later emerged that two St Helens players, Sean Long and Martin Gleeson, had bet on their side to lose before the team was announced. Both were later banned and the Rugby Football League (RFL) tightened up rules by insisting squads had to be named 72 hours in advance.[citation needed]

Millward's St Helens career also ended controversially after he was suspended pending a disciplinary hearing in May 2005. He was sacked for gross misconduct a week later, his offences including three incidences of foul and abusive language: to a club employee; Warrington's press officer; and a fourth official at a match against Bradford. St Helens also claimed that Millward lied to an RFL disciplinary hearing and distorted the truth about the club's sale of Gleeson to Warrington in 2004.[citation needed]

Within a fortnight, Millward was at Wigan Warriors as head coach above Denis Betts.[citation needed] He had a difficult start with Wigan, losing a Super League match 70–0 to Leeds Rhinos and, more humiliatingly, a Challenge Cup tie at St Helens 75–0. Wigan ended the season seventh in the Super League, missing out on the play-offs for the first time in the competition and club's history.

After a disastrous start to the 2006 Super League, Millward was relieved of his duties as head coach of Wigan on 11 April 2006. During this time, a combination of poor performances and injuries to key players had seen Wigan slump to bottom of the engage Super League. Wigan had won just one of eight league games. The club issued this statement:

"Following a meeting of the board of directors the Wigan club can confirm that head coach Ian Millward has been dismissed with immediate effect. Ian will be leaving the club and team affairs will be managed in the short term by the assistant coaches Stuart Wilkinson and Andrew Farrar." He was replaced the following week by then Bradford Bulls coach, Brian Noble.[citation needed]

Millward enjoyed some time away from rugby league after being sacked by Wigan but later in 2006 he returned to the club where he started his English coaching career to become coaching co-ordinator at National League One side Leigh Centurions. Millward also worked as a co-presenter on rugby league matches shown on Sky Sports or BBC.[citation needed]

In 2007 Millward was appointed the assistant coach at National Rugby League side North Queensland Cowboys.[3] After Graham Murray resigned in May 2008, Millward took over as a head coach for the remainder of the season.[4]

Millward was appointed as assistant coach to David Furner at the Canberra Raiders on a two-year contract from 2009.[5]

On 30 June 2009 it was announced that Millward would be re-joining Championship side Leigh Centurions in England from 2010. Millward signed a three-year contract after Canberra agreed to release Millward from his contract.[6] He took over from Terry Matterson as the coach of Castleford starting for the 2012 season he has signed a 3-year deal to stay with the club. Millward was released by Castleford Tigers by mutual consent on 9 April 2013 after a very poor run of just one win in 18 games and with the team at the bottom of the Super League table at the time.

In 2014, Millward returned to Australia to coach the Illawarra Cutters NSW Cup team, replacing former Steelers centre Paul McGregor as coach. In 2015 he became assistant coach of the St George illawarra dragons to assist new coach Paul McGregor

Millward has worked as a TV pundit for the Super League Show broadcast on the BBC and also has featured as a summariser at televised games.

## External links

[edit]

* Ian Millward Wigan Coaching Career Page Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine on the Wigan RL Fansite.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ RLP
2. ^ "Super League Team-by-team guide". The Daily Telegraph. UK. 1 March 2001. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
3. ^ "Coach's fortunes plunge as Cowboys set to run Murray out of Townsville". LeagueHQ. 14 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
4. ^ "Murray resigns as Cowboys coach". North Queensland Cowboys. 19 May 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
5. ^ "MILLWARD JOINS RAIDERS". Sportinglife. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
6. ^ "Millward Returns to Leigh in Chief Coaching Role". Leigh RL Official Website. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.

* v
* t
* e

St Helens RLFC squad – 2000 Super League Grand Final winners

* 1 Paul Wellens
* 2 Steve Hall
* 3 Kevin Iro
* 4 Sean Hoppe
* 5 Anthony Sullivan
* 6 Tommy Martyn
* 7 Sean Long

* 8 Apollo Perelini
* 9 Keiron Cunningham
* 10 Julian O'Neill
* 11 Chris Joynt (c)
* 12 Tim Jonkers
* 13 Paul Sculthorpe

* 14 Sonny Nickle
* 15 Fereti Tuilagi
* 16 Scott Barrow
* 17 John Stankevitch

* Coach: Ian Millward

see also Super League V

* v
* t
* e

St Helens RLFC squad – 2001 World Club Challenge winners

* 1 Paul Wellens
* 2 Sean Hoppe
* 3 Kevin Iro
* 4 Paul Newlove
* 5 Anthony Sullivan
* 6 Tommy Martyn
* 7 Sean Long

* 8 David Fairleigh
* 9 Keiron Cunningham
* 10 Sonny Nickle
* 11 Chris Joynt
* 12 Peter Shiels
* 13 Paul Sculthorpe

* 14 Anthony Stewart
* 15 Vila Matautia
* 16 Tim Jonkers
* 17 John Stankevitch

* Coach: Ian Millward ((c) unknown)

* v
* t
* e

St Helens RLFC squad – 2001 Challenge Cup Final winners

* 1 Paul Wellens
* 2 Sean Hoppe
* 3 Kevin Iro
* 4 Paul Newlove
* 5 Anthony Sullivan
* 6 Tommy Martyn
* 7 Sean Long

* 8 David Fairleigh
* 9 Keiron Cunningham
* 10 Sonny Nickle
* 11 Chris Joynt
* 12 Peter Shiels
* 13 Paul Sculthorpe

* 14 Steve Hall
* 15 Anthony Stewart
* 16 Vila Matautia
* 17 Tim Jonkers

* Coach: Ian Millward ((c) unknown)

* v
* t
* e

St Helens RLFC squad – 2002 Super League Grand Final winners

* 1 Paul Wellens
* 2 Darren Albert
* 3 Martin Gleeson
* 4 Paul Newlove
* 5 Anthony Stewart
* 6 Paul Sculthorpe
* 7 Sean Long

* 8 Darren Britt
* 9 Keiron Cunningham
* 10 Barry Ward
* 11 Mike Bennett
* 12 Tim Jonkers
* 13 Chris Joynt

* 14 Sean Hoppe
* 15 Mickey Higham
* 16 John Stankevitch
* 17 Peter Shiels

* Coach: Ian Millward ((c) unknown)

see also Super League VII

* v
* t
* e

St Helens RLFC squad – 2004 Challenge Cup Final winners

* 1 Paul Wellens
* 2 Ade Gardner
* 3 Martin Gleeson
* 4 Willie Talau
* 5 Darren Albert
* 6 Jason Hooper
* 7 Sean Long

* 8 Nick Fozzard
* 9 Keiron Cunningham
* 10 Keith Mason
* 11 Chris Joynt
* 12 Lee Gilmour
* 13 Paul Sculthorpe

* 14 Dominic Fe'aunati
* 15 Jon Wilkin
* 16 Ricky Bibey
* 17 Mark Edmondson

* Coach: Ian Millward ((c) unknown)

Coaching positions

* v
* t
* e

Leigh Leopards coaches

Formerly Leigh (1878–1995) and Leigh Centurions (1996–2022)

* Jim Jolley (c1910-??)
* Emlyn Jenkins (1946–47)
* Laurie Higgins (1947)
* Jack Miller (1948)
* Emlyn Jenkins (1948–50)
* Joe Egan (1950–56)
* Jack Helme (1956–58)
* Peter Foster (1958–59)
* Don Gullick (1959–60)
* Jack Helme (1960–62)
* Alan Prescott (1962–64)
* Gerry Helme (1964–66)
* Alex Murphy (1966–71)
* Peter Smethurst (1971)
* Derek Hurt (1971–72)
* Les Pearce (1972–74)
* Eddie Cheetham (1974–75)
* Kevin Ashcroft (1975–77)
* Bill Kindon (1977)
* John Mantle (1977–78)
* Tommy Grainey (1978–80)
* Alex Murphy (1980–82)
* Colin Clarke (1982)
* Peter Smethurst (1982–83)
* Tommy Bishop (1983–84)
* John Woods (1984–85)
* Alex Murphy (1985)
* Tommy Dickens (1985–86)
* Billy Benyon (1986–90)
* Alex Murphy (1990–91)
* Kevin Ashcroft (1991–92)
* Jim Crellin (1992)
* Steve Simms (1992–94)
* Denis Ramsdale (1994)
* Ian Lucas (1994–96)
* Eric Hughes (1996)
* Keith Latham (1996–98)
* Norman Turley (1998)
* Ian Millward (1998–2000)
* Paul Terzis (2000–03)
* Darren Abram (2003–05)
* Tony Benson (2005–06)
* Darren Shaw (2006–08)
* Neil Kelly (2008–09)
* Paul Rowley (2009)
* Ian Millward (2009–11)
* Paul Rowley (2012–16)
* Neil Jukes (2016–18)
* Kieron Purtill (2018–19)
* John Duffy (2019–21)
* Kurt Haggerty (2021)
* Adrian Lam (2022–)

* v
* t
* e

St Helens R.F.C. coaches

* Alf Frodsham (1945–49)
* Peter Lyons (1949–50)
* Emlyn Jenkins (1950–52)
* Jim Sullivan (1952–59)
* Alan Prescott (1959–62)
* Stan McCormick (1962–64)
* Joe Coan (1964–67)
* Cliff Evans (1967–70)
* Jim Challinor (1970–74)
* Eric Ashton (1974–80)
* Kel Coslett (1980–82)
* Billy Benyon (1982–85)
* Alex Murphy (1985–90)
* Mike McClennan (1990–93)
* Eric Hughes (1993–96)
* Shaun McRae (1996–98)
* Ellery Hanley (1998–2000)
* Ian Millward (2000–05)
* Daniel Anderson (2005–09)
* Mick Potter (2009–10)
* Royce Simmons (2011–12)
* Mike Rush (2012)
* Nathan Brown (2013–14)
* Keiron Cunningham (2014–17)
* Jamahl Lolesi (2017)
* Justin Holbrook (2017–18)
* Kristian Woolf (2019–22)
* Paul Wellens (2023–)

* v
* t
* e

Wigan Warriors coaches

* Tommy McCarthy (192?–??)
* Jim Sullivan (1932–52)
* Maurice Hughes (1952–53)
* Ted Ward (1953–56)
* Joe Egan (1956–61)
* Jim Sullivan (1961)
* John "Johnny" Lawrenson (1961)
* Griff Jenkins (1961–63)
* Eric Ashton (1963–73)
* Graham Starkey (1973–74)
* Edward "Ted" Toohey (1974–75)
* Joe Coan (1975–76)
* Vince Karalius (1976–79)
* Kel Coslett (1979–80)
* George Fairbairn (1980–81)
* Maurice Bamford (1981–82)
* Alex Murphy (1982–84)
* Colin Clarke/Alan McInnes (1984–86)
* Graham Lowe (1986–89)
* John Monie (1989–93; 1997–99)
* John Dorahy (1993–94)
* Graeme West (1994–97)
* Eric Hughes (1997)
* Andy Goodway (1999)
* Frank Endacott (1999–2001)
* Stuart Raper (2001–03)
* Mike Gregory (2003–04)
* Denis Betts (2004–05)
* Ian Millward (2005–06)
* Brian Noble (2006–09)
* Michael Maguire (2009–11)
* Shaun Wane (2012–18)
* Adrian Lam (2019–21)
* Matt Peet (2022–)

* v
* t
* e

North Queensland Cowboys coaches

* Grant Bell 1995
* Graham Lowe 1996
* Tim Sheens 1997–2001
* Murray Hurst 2001–2002
* Graham Murray 2002–2008
* Ian Millward 2008
* Neil Henry 2009–2013
* Paul Green 2014–2020
* Josh Hannay 2020
* Todd Payten 2021–present

* v
* t
* e

Castleford Tigers coaches

* William Rhodes (1926–28)
* Jim Bacon (1928–29)
* Dick Silcock (1929–30)
* Billy Clements (1930–32)
* William Rhodes (1932–51)
* Jack Kitching (1951–52)
* William Rhodes (1952–53)
* Ernest Ward (1953–56)
* Len Garbett (1956–57)
* William Rhodes (1957–58)
* Harry Street (1958–64)
* George Clinton (1965–68)
* Derek Turner (1968–69)
* Tommy Smales (1969–70)
* Alan Hardisty (1970–71)
* Harry Poole (1971–72)
* John Sheridan (1972–73)
* Dave Cox (1973–74)
* Mal Reilly (1974–87)
* David Sampson (1987–88)
* Darryl Van de Velde (1988–93)
* John Joyner (1993–97)
* Mick Morgan (interim, 1997)
* Stuart Raper (1997–2001)
* Graham Steadman (2001–04)
* Gary Mercer (2004)
* Dave Woods (2005)
* Terry Matterson (2006–11)
* Ian Millward (2012–13)
* Danny Orr (interim, 2013)
* Daryl Powell (2013–21)
* Lee Radford (2022–23)
* Andy Last (2023)
* Danny Ward (2023)
* Craig Lingard (2024)
* Danny McGuire (2025–)

*[Gms]: Games
*[W]: Wins
*[D]: Draws
*[L]: Losses
*[W%]: Win percentage
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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template