Coaching shake-up for England

NEWS: Steve Borthwick has announced a restructuring of his England coaching team.

It includes the appointment of Lee Blackett as attack coach, and a new role for senior assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth, who will now take charge of defence.

“I am pleased to announce these changes, which I believe will leave us even better placed to continue our development,” Borthwick said.

“They allow us to build on the momentum of recent strong results and put the team in the best possible position for the challenges ahead.

“Lee brings great experience and has, for several years, been widely regarded as one of the country’s top attack coaches. His teams play fast, exciting rugby that consistently look to score tries.

“His work with England over the summer further demonstrated his ability to drive the development of our attack in the manner and style already built by Richard Wigglesworth.

“Richard has done an excellent job over the past three years shaping our attack from where it was to where it is now. His selection to coach the British & Irish Lions this summer is testament to that.

“He and I had previously had a general discussion about whether he could switch his focus to the critical area of defence. After the summer tours, it made sense for him to move into that role – provided Lee could join full-time to run the attack.

“Just as we expect the playing group to improve and evolve over time, the same applies to the coaches. We have made excellent progress over the past 12 months, and there is so much more to be done.”

Blackett, who arrives from Bath Rugby, was recently part of the England coaching group on their undefeated summer tour of Argentina and the USA. He was also part of the England ‘A’ coaching set up which secured victories over Australia ‘A’ and Ireland ‘A’ in late 2024 and early 2025.

“It’s a huge honour to join the England coaching team,” said Blackett, who will formally begin his role at the end of September but will take part in England’s three-day training camp starting on Sunday.

“The current England squad is full of talent and enthusiasm, with quality and depth from 1 to 15. I can’t wait to work with these players, and to see what we can achieve.

“I have greatly enjoyed my time at Bath and am grateful to Bruce Craig and Johann van Graan for allowing me to pursue my ambition of coaching at international level. There is never an ideal time to leave, but I am sure the club will continue to thrive.

Elsewhere in the set-up, Andrew Strawbridge will conclude his time with the team after the year-end Tests, bringing to a close the contract he signed ahead of the 2024 Six Nations.

“Andrew has made a significant contribution to this team,” added Borthwick.

“He’s brought a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we are very grateful for everything he’s done over the past two years.”

Until then, Strawbridge will continue his responsibility for the contact area, covering both attack and defence. Joe El-Abd will work closely with the forwards. Tom Harrison continues in his position as scrum coach, with Kevin Sinfield focusing on individual skills and the kicking group.

England kick off their year-end Tests campaign against Australia at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 1 November, followed by fixtures against Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina.

England men’s coaching team:
Steve Borthwick – head coach
Richard Wigglesworth – senior assistant coach
Lee Blackett – assistant coach
Kevin Sinfield – assistant coach
Tom Harrison – assistant coach
Joe El-Abd – assistant coach
Andrew Strawbridge – coach advisor & assistant coach