Former England centre Anthony Allen lands Championship head coach role

Cambridge head coach Richie Williams will step down from his role at the end of the month with former England centre Anthony Allen taking over on an interim basis.

The two-cap international has been part of the Cambridge coaching team since 2022, but will now take the reins of the side, who languish second-from-bottom in the Championship with two wins from eight matches.

Allen will be supported by forwards coach Neil Harris in the role, who were part of the trio alongside Williams that guided Cambridge back to the Championship in 2023.

Williams will leave his role after Cambridge’s fixture with Bedford Blues on December 28, but host Ampthill on Saturday before then.

Cambridge chairman Tim Hague said: “On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Richie for his hard work, dedication and commitment to Cambridge Rugby during his time here, which has included some of the best moments of success within the club’s history. We wish him the very best of luck in the future.”

The former Gloucester and Leicester Tigers centre has plenty of experience of coaching in the Championship having previously worked as defence coach for Coventry.

Prior to joining Coventry, Allen had plenty of success coaching Leicester Tigers’ academy and the England U20 set-up. The move into coaching came after being forced to retire at the age of 28 with a knee injury.

Allen’s appointment will signal a growing number of former England players coaching Championship sides, with Nick Easter in charge of Chinnor and Joe Gray coaching London Scottish.