England announce assistant coaches for summer tour

Gallagher Premiership title-chasing clubs Bath and Sale Sharks will supply two of the assistant coaches for this summer’s England tour to the USA and Argentina.

England A coach Lee Blackett has been further rewarded for his role in transforming Bath’s attack this season, with the West Country league leaders smashing their previous Premiership try-scoring record on their rise to the top this season.

Meanwhile, the former Scotland wing, Namibian-born Byron McGuigan, has also been added to Steve Borthwick’s staff. With McGuigan as defence coach, Sale Sharks have become one of the hardest teams to break down.

Blackett will step in to replace Richard Wigglesworth as attack coach while he is on duty as an assistant coach with the British & Irish Lions in Australia, while McGuigan will work alongside Joe El-Abd as assistant defence coach.

England’s summer tour kicks off with a two-Test series against Argentina, with matches taking place in La Plata on Saturday, 5 July and San Juan on Saturday, 12 July. England then travel to the United States to face the USA Eagles in Washington D.C. on Saturday, 19 July. After the tour, Blackett and McGuigan will return to their respective clubs.

“Lee and Byron will be excellent additions to our coaching group this summer,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick.

“England have traditionally travelled to Argentina when the British & Irish Lions play. It is a summer series that has always provided a fantastic opportunity for Premiership coaches to work in the Test environment. I am delighted that we are able to do just that once again.

“Lee and Byron both have a mindset and approach to their coaching that very much align with how we want to continue to play.

“Lee has a proven track record of developing teams that play smart and effective attacking rugby. Byron brings an energy and strong understanding of the game that underpins an aggressive defence.”

Blackett began his coaching career in 2012 as player-coach at Rotherham Titans, becoming the youngest head coach in the top two tiers of English rugby just a year later. He joined Wasps in 2015 as attack coach, later stepping up as head coach and leading the team to the Premiership final in 2019/20.

Following Wasps’ administration in 2022, Blackett moved to Scarlets as backs and skills coach, helping them reach the Challenge Cup semi-finals, before joining Bath Rugby ahead of the 2023/24 season. Most recently, he coached England ‘A’ to wins over Australia ‘A’ and Ireland ‘A’ in late 2024 and early 2025.

“It’s a huge honour to be asked to join the England coaching team,” said Blackett.

“This is a really exciting group of players, and I’m looking forward to working with them and the coaching team for what should be a fantastic challenge.”

McGuigan made over 100 appearances for Sale Sharks and earned 10 caps for Scotland before retiring to pursue a coaching career. While still playing, he gained experience with grassroots clubs including Sandbach RFC, Bowdon RFC, and Rossendale RFC, and led Sale Sharks during the 2023/24 Premiership Rugby Cup campaign. In November 2024, he was appointed defence coach at Sale.

“It’s a huge honour to be part of the England setup and I’m excited to contribute to the environment that is being built within the England squad,” added McGuigan.

In addition to Blackett and McGuigan joining the England coaching team, Phil Morrow will also begin his role as head of team performance permanently.

England’s Summer Tour 2025 Fixtures:
Saturday 5 July, England v Argentina – Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, Buenos Aires
Saturday 12 July, England v Argentina – Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan
Saturday 19 July, England v USA – Audi Field, Washington, D.C.