Hill joins Jones' crew

He spent his entire playing career at Saracens and made his senior England debut against Scotland at Twickenham Stadium in 1997 – going on to represent his country 71 times. He was capped five times by the British & Irish Lions during the South Africa (1997), Australia (2001) and New Zealand (2005) tours and awarded an MBE in 2003.

Since retiring through injury in 2008, Hill has worked for Saracens and the RFU. In June 2014, Hill was appointed RFU Player Pathway Liaison Manager where he helped England's international performance coaches to help identify, mentor and develop young players both on and off the field.

Hill has been a national member of the RFU council since 2008, a position he has subsequently stepped down from. Most recently, Hill was team manager on the England Saxons tour of South Africa.

"Richard is an icon of English rugby and I am very pleased he has agreed to join the England management team. His vast international experience and in-depth knowledge of the RFU player pathway means he's a great fit for this role in the England setup.  

"Richard's responsibilities will range from maintaining the internal and external relationships to providing mentoring and support for players and management.

"It is important we use the knowledge of former international players and keep an historical link with the past. I am in no doubt that Richard will excel in his role and I look forward to working with him again as we continue our preparation for the Series later this year," Jones said.

This is the second time Hill and Jones will have joined forces, having previously worked together when Jones was director of rugby at Saracens.  

"It is a great honour to take up this position with the national team. These are exciting times for English rugby and I look forward to supporting the team and management in our journey to the World Cup in 2019," Hill said.

@EnglandRugby

* Picture Steve Haag