Richard Wigglesworth to join England coaching team after Richard Cockerill steps down
England have recruited two more coaches from Leicester as Steve Borthwick continues to assemble his management team.
On the day it was confirmed Richard Cockerill would step down at the end of the Six Nations to join Montpellier, the Rugby Football Union announced the appointment of interim Tigers boss Richard Wigglesworth and Aled Walters.
Wigglesworth joins as an assistant coach, most likely overseeing the attack which is currently being directed by Nick Evans, while Walters will become head of strength and conditioning in the wake of Jon Clarke’s departure.
Both men will join the England set-up at the end of the season.
It lifts the number of coaches taken from Gallagher Premiership champions Leicester to four with Borthwick and his number two Kevin Sinfield also prised away from Welford Road.
Cockerill, who won 27 caps for England from 1997 to 1999, was recruited by Eddie Jones in September 2021 and served a brief spell as interim head coach until Borthwick was appointed.
“It has been an honour to not only play for my country, but to also get the chance to coach England,” Cockerill said.
“Having coached and played in France previously, my family and I always had aspirations to return.
“This opportunity presented itself some time ago and it was too hard to turn down, personally and professionally.
“It is disappointing not to work with Steve and the wider team beyond the Six Nations. I had hoped to be able to stay for the World Cup, but the timings weren’t meant to be.
“I will continue to be fully focused on England and this Six Nations campaign, working with this group of players as they begin a new journey together.”
England face an uphill struggle over the coming weeks after falling to a third-successive Calcutta Cup defeat by Scotland on Saturday, with Borthwick stating that the team he inherited from Jones “weren’t good at anything”.
The new red rose boss insisted it was Cockerill’s decision to move on.
“Richard has been, and continues to be, an excellent coach and has provided invaluable support and guidance to our players,” Borthwick said.
“You can tell how much pride he had in playing for his country and he has the same pride in working for his country as a coach. I know it was a difficult decision for him to leave and he has our support.
“We will continue to work hard together as a coaching group as we work to help build an England team that gets to where we all want it to be.”
