Rugby

Richard Wigglesworth Steps Up as Borthwick’s Right-Hand Man

After Borthwick left for England, Richard Wigglesworth served as Leicester's head coach for a time before joining his former boss at Allianz Stadium.

Richard Wigglesworth has received a promotion to become the assistant coach under head coach Steve Borthwick in England’s latest coaching restructure. The former England scrum-half, now 41 will continue to lead the team’s attack while also collaborating with Borthwick on the overall game plan and managing the coaching staff. Borthwick praised Wigglesworth for his deep knowledge of the game and tactical acumen, calling him a vital asset to the coaching team.

He emphasized that Wigglesworth shares a strong emotional commitment to English rugby and will play a key role in enhancing the team’s standards. In response, Wigglesworth expressed excitement about the current phase of England rugby, noting Borthwick’s focus on collaboration and hard work within the coaching environment which fosters growth and success.

Wigglesworth, who earned 33 caps for England during his playing career joined the England setup at Borthwick’s invitation after they successfully worked together when Leicester Tigers clinched the Premiership title in 2022. The coaching staff has also seen other changes. Joe El-Abd from Oyonnax has joined as the new defense coach in September following Felix Jones’s resignation after just seven months in the role.

Meanwhile, Kevin Sinfield, who had planned to leave earlier in the year has agreed to stay on reduced hours, focusing on skills, kicking and player mentoring. Additionally, Irishman Jones will continue to provide tactical analysis remotely while he fulfills his 12-month notice period. Looking ahead, England will face New Zealand on November 2 as part of their autumn campaign which will also include matches against Australia, South Africa and Japan.

England’s coaching staff:

Steve Borthwick – head coach

Richard Wigglesworth – senior assistant coach (attack)

Joe El-Abd – assistant coach (defence)

Tom Harrison – assistant coach (scrum)

Kevin Sinfield – assistant coach (skills & kicking)

Andrew Strawbridge – assistant coach & coaching advisor

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