Mitchell to start as England's defence coach as soon as next month

Mitchell is set to join the England setup within the next month.

The Daily Mail has reported former All Blacks coach John Mitchell has agreed to contract terms with the RFU, with the only hurdle remaining the buyout of his current contract with the Bulls in South Africa.

The RFU will negotiate a release payment with the Super Rugby side to compensate for the loss of their Director of Rugby and Head Coach for the final year of his current deal.

The move was in motion during England's tour of South Africa in June, where Eddie Jones reportedly met with Mitchell to discuss the idea. He has beaten out Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards for the role, who was also rumoured to also be in contention.

Mitchell's new deal with the RFU will see him replace Paul Gustard as the defence coach until the end of the 2019 World Cup. It will be his first role as an assistant coach since the year 2000, will be the latest stop in a long list of coaching destinations that spans six countries, his most successful being with the All Blacks where he maintained a win percentage of over 80% over two seasons as head coach.

He also coached the Golden Lions to a Currie Cup championship in 2011.

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