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Borthwick moves Wigglesworth in England coaching reshuffle
By PA
Richard Wigglesworth has been installed as Steve Borthwick’s number two in England’s finalised coaching team for the upcoming autumn series.
Wigglesworth’s duties overseeing the attack have been widened to include helping devise the overall gameplan for the fixtures against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.
Felix Jones will continue to work remotely next month after the Irish defence coach unexpectedly handed in his resignation in August.
Jones is contracted to work a 12-month notice period and details over his future are likely to be provided on Wednesday when Borthwick names his squad for the autumn.
Joe El-Abd, the Oyonnax director of rugby, has taken charge of the defence while continuing his work with the French club until the end of the season.
“Richard’s deep knowledge of the game and his excellent tactical understanding means he has become a key figure in our coaching team,” Borthwick said.
“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.”
Wigglesworth now has the title of senior assistant coach, with El-Abd, Tom Harrison, Kevin Sinfield and Andrew Strawbridge completing Borthwick’s backroom staff ahead of the opener against the All Blacks on November 2.
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Latest Comments
The draw has some quite interesting possibilities.
I doubt England or Canada will be losing any sleep over any potential draw, but the Band 2 teams may now feel they have a chance against NZ or France, but will look nervously over their shoulders at the USA and Wales.
There's a high potential for at least one upset in each Group - most probably in the fight for second place.
And I think the chance of a Group of Death is quite high. Given that any of the Band 2 teams is a potential handful for NZ or France, there's a 50% chance that one of them gets USA or Wales, and a 16.5% chance that they get one each. In a group like that, you could see the Band 2 team beat the Band 1 team only to lose to the Band 3 team, meaning that the group could be decided on bonus points.
Go to commentsThe Smiths are the future for England at 10, so he may as well take the cash.
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