England appoint new U20 coaching panel

FORMER Leicester centre Anthony Allen has been appointed as one of three new coaches for England U20s as part of the new coach development programme agreement signed between the RFU and Premiership Rugby.

Allen, currently coaching in the Leicester academy, is joined by Richard Blaze and James Ponton on the coaching panel. Blaze, a former England U21 forward, coached at Leicester until September 2017. Ponton joined Newcastle Falcons as academy coach in January 2012.

The programme will run alongside the coaches’ current club duties.

It follows a successful trial last year which saw Louis Deacon, Tom Williams and Ian Vass, who has gone on to coach at Montpellier, lead the U20s to Six Nations glory as well as to the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship.

Allen said: “This is a great opportunity to develop my coaching and work with young exciting talent from around the country.

“I have played for the 20s so to be asked to coach with this group is an honour. I’m really looking forward to the challenges of coaching with an international representative team alongside my work with the Tigers.”

Blaze said: “I found playing age-grade international rugby a key part of my career so to be able to contribute now as a coach is hugely exciting. I'm looking forward to working with different coaches and picking up ideas in a different environment."

Ponton said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to improve as a coach. I’m hugely excited now to start working with the players.”

Head of international player development Dean Ryan said: “The coaches will gain experience from working in a different environment with people who have different ideas and approaches to them.

“We have a stronger idea now of how we want England U20s to play so they will have to amend their own philosophies but they will also gain experience of coaching at the Six Nations and U20 World Championship. We believe that will stand them in good stead.”