England’s breathless reshuffling of coaches ahead of the autumn internationals has continued, with Richard Wigglesworth promoted to senior assistant coach under Steve Borthwick.
Wigglesworth joined the team as attack coach ahead of last year’s World Cup and while he will still be responsible for England’s attacking output, he will also take on additional responsibilities as Borthwick’s new No 2 for the games against southern hemisphere giants New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, as well as Japan, next month.
The RFU confirmed the move in a press release, stating the former England scrum half will help Borthwick to develop England’s overall game plan and attacking strategy and will support the head coach in day-to-day leadership and managing the coaching group.
“Richard’s deep knowledge of the game and his excellent tactical understanding means he has become a key figure in our coaching team,” explained Borthwick.
“He shares our emotional commitment to English rugby, and I am certain he will play a crucial role in driving the standards of this England team. I am delighted he has agreed to take on this new challenge.”
Wigglesworth’s job shift comes after Borthwick plucked his former flatmate Joe El-Abd from French second-division side Oyonnax to be defence coach this autumn, replacing the highly-rated Felix Jones who shockingly resigned in August after just eight months in the job.
Jones – who masterminded England’s impressive blitz defence in the Six Nations and the summer internationals – will continue to work remotely to see out his 12-month notice period and Borthwick may provide further details over the Irishman’s future on Wednesday when he names his squad for the autumn.
Last week it was announced that Kevin Sinfield would remain in his mentor role alongside duties as skills and kicking coach, albeit largely part-time. Tom Harrison will continue as Borthwick’s scrum coach and Andrew Strawbridge will be in situ as assistant coach and coaching advisor.
Those announcements came after Gallagher Premiership clubs voted against allowing Saracens assistant Phil Morrow to replace Aled Walters as head of strength and conditioning while continuing to work with Sarries.
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