Cockerill appointed Georgia head coach

Former England assistant coach Richard Cockerill has been appointed head coach of the Georgia national team, the country's rugby union announced on Thursday.

Georgia had a disappointing Rugby World Cup last year, finishing bottom of their pool, which led to the departure of head coach Levan Maisashvili, and Cockerill will oversee their upcoming European Championship campaign.

"Richard can build on the successes of Levan Maisashvili – our historic wins over Wales and Italy and the dominance of the Rugby Europe championship – to take us to the next level," Georgian Rugby Union president Ioseb Tkemaladze said.

Cockerill, 53, served as interim England coach in 2022 after the sacking of Eddie Jones, before Steve Borthwick was appointed, and his most recent role was as head coach of Montpellier last year.

The former hooker, who made 27 appearances as a player with England, will also take charge of Georgian club side Black Lion, currently involved in the European Challenge Cup.

Georgia begin the European Championship with an away game against Germany on Feb. 4, and will play a test match with Japan, coached by Eddie Jones, in July.