El-Abd joins England as defence coach

LONDON : Joe El-Abd has agreed to become England's defence coach alongside Steve Borthwick following the surprise resignation of Felix Jones last month, the RFU said on Thursday.

El-Abd, 44, moves from French second division club Oyonnax and will be in place for England's November internationals against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.

He will continue his role as director of rugby at Oyonnax until the end of the current season, after which he will he will transition to working exclusively for England.

"I’m delighted to bring in someone with Joe’s expertise to our coaching program,” Borthwick said in a statement. "His knowledge, passion for the game, and proven experience in developing high-performing teams, will be key to the squad’s ongoing development."

Borthwick is a former university flatmate of El-Abd, who played as a flanker for Bristol, Toulon and Oyonnax, initially as a player-coach, before coaching at Castres and returning to Oyonnax and leading them back into the Top 14 as D2 champions in 2023.

"I feel incredibly honoured to join the England coaching team, and I can’t wait to get started,” said El-Abd, whose brother Adam is a former Egypt international footballer who played 300 games for Brighton.

"I am excited by the direction in which this England team is headed and where they want to go under Steve’s leadership. His enthusiasm is infectious, and his vision for this team is clear."

He will be tasked with continuing England's new blitz defence system introduced by Jones, who left after only eight months in the job.