Hill named England’s Team Manager

Editor

England head coach Eddie Jones has appointed former international flanker and World Cup winner Richard Hill as the squad's Team Manager.

Reporting directly to the head coach, Hill will take up the new position at England's training camp in Brighton on October 2-4 as the team begins its preparation for the November Tests.

The back-row forward spent his entire playing career at Saracens and made his senior England debut against Scotland at Twickenham Stadium in 1997 – going on to represent his country 71 times. He was capped five times by the British and Irish Lions during the South Africa (1997), Australia (2001) and New Zealand (2005) tours and awarded an MBE in 2003.

Since retiring through injury in 2008 Hill has worked for Saracens and the RFU. In June 2014 Hill was appointed RFU Player Pathway Liaison Manager where he played an important role with England’s international performance coaches to help identify, mentor and develop young players both on and off the field.

Since 2008 Hill has been a national member of the RFU council, a position he stepped down from on taking up his new role in the England set-up. Most recently Hill was team manager on the England Saxons tour of South Africa in the summer.

This is the second time Hill and Jones will have joined forces having previously worked together when Jones was director of rugby at Saracens.

Commenting on the appointment Jones said: "Richard is an icon of English rugby and I am very pleased he has agreed to join the England management team. His vast international experience and in-depth knowledge of the RFU player pathway means he’s a great fit for this role in the England set-up.

"Richard's responsibilities will range from maintaining England Rugby's internal and external relationships to providing mentoring and support for players and management.

"It is important we use the knowledge of former international players and keep an historical link with the past. I am in no doubt that Richard will excel in his role and I look forward to working with him again as we continue our preparation for the Old Mutual Wealth Series later this year."

Hill, 43, added: "It is a great honour to take up this position with the national team.

"These are exciting times for English rugby and I look forward to supporting the team and management in our journey to the World Cup in 2019."