England 'A' coaches confirmed for All Blacks XV clash

NEWS: England A re-group for the first time this season in November to face All Blacks XV and Spain, and announced their coaching set-up, led by head coach Mark Mapletoft, on Wednesday.

Mapletoft will be assisted by Gloucester’s James Lightfoot Brown to lead England’s attack, defence coach Adam Powell from Saracens, and Harlequins’ Matt Ferguson, who is in charge of the scrum for the All Blacks clash.

Red Roses World Cup-winning coach Nathan Catt, who takes over the scrum against Spain and Northampton Saints’ James Craig will serve as England A forwards coach for both matches.

England will hope to continue their unbeaten run that stretches back to 2023 when they take to the Recreation Ground on Saturday, November 8 and the Estadio Jose Zorrilla in Valladolid on Saturday, November 15.

On naming his coaching group, head coach Mapletoft said: “It’s a great honour to be accompanied by some of the most exciting coaching talent in the PREM ahead of our opening games of the 2025/26 season.

“Following extensive consultation with Steve [Borthwick] and Conor [O’Shea] alongside PREM Rugby, we believe we have assembled a team that will drive forward the A side into a new campaign with fresh ideas against testing opposition.

“We want to continue to provide a platform for young players to grow the rose and measure themselves against international-calibre sides, bridging the gap into the senior environment.”