In an announcement made on Thursday, the RFU revealed that England coach Steve Borthwick has enlisted the help of New Zealander Andrew Strawbridge as a consultant for the first four weeks of the Six Nations championship.
59-year-old Strawbridge previously held the position of skills consultant with the All Blacks, contributing to their journey to the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Before this, he has coached at North Harbour and Auckland, as well as worked with New Zealand’s under-20s team and spent three years with Waikato.
Borthwick commended the addition of Strawbridge to the coaching team, stating “Andrew is another coach with a wealth of knowledge. He has worked extensively and successfully in Super Rugby and international rugby.”
Felix Jones, who recently joined the England set-up after assisting South Africa in their back-to-back World Cup triumphs, will now oversee the team’s defense. Kevin Sinfield will be in charge of coaching individual skills and the kickers, while Richard Wigglesworth continues as attack coach and Tom Harrison remains in charge of the scrum.
Borthwick expressed enthusiasm about working with Jones, referring to him as a coach with “an incredible reputation and with vast experience in international rugby.” He also highlighted Jones’ background in Irish rugby and experience operating in the southern hemisphere, which he believes will bring a different dimension to the coaching team.
England’s Six Nations campaign will kick off with an away game against Italy on Feb. 3, followed by hosting Wales, an away game against Scotland, and welcoming Italy before concluding against France in Lyon on March 16. Last year, England finished fourth in the Six Nations after securing two wins. Despite a rough series of warm-up matches, the team found form and ended up finishing third in the World Cup.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
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