British & Irish Lions: Richard Wigglesworth appointment an ‘inspirational move’ from Andy Farrell as ex-England team-mate believes he could be a ‘secret weapon’ in Australia

Richard Wigglesworth can be the British and Irish Lions’ “secret weapon” in Australia, former England star Mark Cueto believes.

Wigglesworth was yesterday confirmed as England’s one representative on Andy Farrell’s coaching team for the hotly anticipated three-Test tour Down Under.

The announcement came less than a fortnight after Steve Borthwick said he had received no approach from the Lions for any of his assistants.

Former team-mate

Cueto, who played alongside Wigglesworth for England and won a Premiership title with him at Sale, believes Farrell’s late call could be a masterstroke.

He said: “Wiggy is still so new into coaching that he’s coming up with ideas nobody has seen before.

“He’s like a player who comes onto the scene and looks brilliant before he gets coached to death. The shackles aren’t on. His ideas are fresh. He may just be the Lions‘ secret weapon.”

Just 27 months ago Wigglesworth was playing in the Gallagher Premiership. He only joined the England coaching set-up in the summer of 2023, a mere five months after taking charge of Leicester.

The Red Rose attack had been a work in progress until recently, hence little to no talk of Wigglesworth becoming a Lion. But 17 tries in their last two games, and the cohesive and relentless manner of England’s work in demolishing Italy and Wales, turned Farrell’s head.

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Cueto said: “I look at Wiggy’s rise through the coaching ranks and I’m reminded a bit of when I turned pro with Sale, having only played rugby for three years.

“I was from a football background, nobody know me and when I was up against the Ben Cohens, Josh Lewseys and Dan Lugers I didn’t know who they were either.

“It meant I couldn’t be intimidated by them or their reputations and I’m sure that did me a favour.

“Wiggy is still young enough that he’s probably played with half the lads who’ll be on this tour. With time so short to bond and build relationships, his appointment could be an inspirational move by big Faz (Farrell).”

A flick through Wigglesworth’s CV and what quickly becomes apparent is that an awful lot of what he touches turns to gold.

His 20-year playing career featured records for most Gallagher Premiership appearances (322) and Finals won (seven). Add three Champions Cup wins and 33 England caps over a decade and not too many boxes were left unticked.

“What marks Wiggy out, for me, is that he’s a proper grafter,” Cueto said. “He cares so much about what he’s doing. I saw that at Sale and I’m seeing it now with England.

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“I’m not sure caring is a quality valued as much in today’s society as it used to be, but in his case it definitely is by Faz and Borthers [Borthwick].

“I still remember the year he left Sale for Saracens. We had Dwayne Peel and Wiggy as our two main scrum-halves, both were coming out of contract and both wanted to stay.

“Each was pretty open that, whoever signed first, the other would have to leave because both wanted to be the main guy. Peeley signed and I remember being sat in the Trafford Centre with Wiggy and his missus and they were unbelievably upset to be leaving Manchester. Genuinely devastated.

“That showed how much he cared yet, looking back, it was the best thing that could have happened to him. His development and growth in his 10 years at Saracens was incredible.

Ultra consistent

“So, yeah, Wiggy has got that graft. In terms of character and personality he and Borthers may be polar opposites but when it comes to work ethic they are peas in a pod.”

As a player Wigglesworth was rarely accused of having X-factor. As Cueto puts it, ask the average fan back in the day to name their top three scrum-halves and his pal would probably not get too many mentions.

“But X-factor players often bounce from 10-out-of-10 performances one week to four-out-of-10 the next and maybe seven-out-of-10 the week after that,” he added.

“Wiggy was a nine-out-of-10 every week or at worst an eight-and-a-half. Not flashy, ultra-competitive and high-end consistent.

“Coaches love that. And I sense his players appreciate that in him now he is a coach.”

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