USA add Rugby World Cup winner to Nations Cup coaching roster

USA’s coaching group for the upcoming World Rugby Nations Cup includes 1999 Rugby World Cup winner Nathan Grey, with the Australian named as one of head coach Scott Lawrence’s five assistants.

The 35-cap Wallaby will take charge of the defence, a role that had been performed up until now by ex-England international No.8 Nick Easter, who’s decided to step back to lighten his workload and spend more time with his family.

Easter had been combining his USA commitments with his main job as director of rugby of Chinnor, who reached the English Champ play-offs under his superb leadership min 2025/26.

Grey, who also helped the Wallabies to reach the final of RWC 2003 and played in the triumphant 2001 Lions series, has been coaching for the best part of 16 years.

After finishing his playing career in Japan, the centre returned to Australia in 2010 to become skills coach of the Melbourne Rebels.

From there, Grey spent three years working as an assistant coach with the Waratahs, during which time he became part of the Wallabies’ coaching group.

Since leaving the Wallabies in 2019, Grey remained heavily involved in producing the next generation of Wallabies, through his role with the National Academy and as head coach of the national U20s team.

He has also had two spells back in Japan, as technical advisor to the now-defunct Sunwolves and more recently as an assistant with Suntory.

Grey, who has spent the last nine months as director of rugby at Manly Sea Eagles, joins Sharks coach David Williams as a new addition to Lawrence’s backroom team.

Williams has a good coaching track record having had previous spells at Kobe Steelers, London Irish, Bath and the Southern Kings.

Lawrence’s other assistants are Agustin Cavalieri (forwards), Blake Bradford (scrum) and Steve Brett (attack/kicking).

USA open their Nations Cup campaign against Portugal at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday 4 July.

A first-ever meeting with Zimbabwe follows a week later in Charlotte, before the Men’s Eagles finish up against Spain, also in North Carolina, at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Raleigh, on Saturday, 18 July.

The World Rugby Nations Cup will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV in selected territories, with the US audience able to enjoy non-USA matches and the top-level Nations Championship, which features the world’s 12 leading teams and runs concurrently with the Nations Cup. USA’s Nations Cup games will be shown on Paramount+.