Sam Vesty named in England A coaching staff

Sam Vesty has been named within an all-Gallagher Premiership line-up of coaches to lead England Men’s A against Portugal this February. 

The Northampton Saints Head Coach will spearhead the attack for England A for the clash at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, joining George Skivington and Dom Waldouck (both Gloucester Rugby) on the coaching staff for the fixture.

The England A side returns after an eight-year absence for the encounter with ‘Os Lobos’ (the Wolves) on Sunday 25 February, kicking-off at 1pm.

Vesty’s Saints are currently top of the Gallagher Premiership table and the coach will hope to bring with him the attacking threat that has seen Northampton top the Premiership’s try-scoring charts for the last two seasons.

The 42-year-old knows Welford Road well having played for Leicester Tigers 164 times, becoming the fourth member of his family to play for the club before moving to Bath Rugby where he made a further 64 appearances.

The utility back retired in 2013 before taking on a coaching role at Worcester Warriors. Whilst at Sixways, Vesty was appointed Skills Coach for England’s two-Test tour of Argentina.

In 2018, he was named Northampton Saints Attack Coach, before progressing into the role of Head Coach in the summer of 2022.

“It’s always a privilege and an honour to be asked to help support England, to wear a Red Rose on your chest and to compete at a high level, so I can’t wait to get started,” Vesty said.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to work with some of the best young talent in the country. We’ll be encouraging these players to go out and play what’s in front of them, getting their eyes up and putting their best foot forward – both in terms of playing well in the game against Portugal, but also hopefully progressing on to further honours with England.

The coaching team was chosen in consultation alongside Premiership Rugby, with the selection of the first matchday 23 since 2016 to be determined by senior men’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, in due course.

Portugal will provide a stern test for England Men’s A team after a strong showing in last year’s Rugby World Cup, which included a draw against Georgia followed by a maiden tournament win over quarter-finalists Fiji.

Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s Executive Director of Performance Rugby, said: “On behalf of the RFU, I’d like to thank both Gloucester and Northampton, alongside Premiership Rugby, for their collaboration and effort in assembling what is a very exciting coaching panel ahead of our Men’s A fixture against Portugal next month.

“We’re fortunate to possess a coaching staff boasting a wealth of experience in the game that totals decades and will be a fantastic match for the appropriate challenge of Os Lobos.

“Each member of the coaching staff was picked with the consideration of their ability to develop young players and bringing international talent to the top of English rugby.

“This fixture, as well as the England Men’s A games to come, aims to elevate that platform and build a consistent pathway for young English players into the senior level of the game in this country.”