(Reuters) -England have reshuffled their men's coaching team after appointing Lee Blackett as attack coach and shifting Richard Wigglesworth into the role of defence coach ahead of the Autumn Nations Series, head coach Steve Borthwick announced on Saturday.
Blackett, who arrives from Premiership champions Bath, has worked with England before, including on their unbeaten summer tour of Argentina and the United States.
Wigglesworth, who had previously overseen England's attack as well as that of the British & Irish Lions in Australia, will transition to lead the defensive setup, a move Borthwick said had been discussed for some time.
"Richard has done an excellent job over the past three years shaping our attack from where it was to where it is now. His selection to coach the British & Irish Lions this summer is testament to that," Borthwick said.
"He and I had previously had a general discussion about whether he could switch his focus to the critical area of defence. After the summer tours, it made sense for him to move into that role – provided Lee could join full-time to run the attack.
"Lee brings great experience and has, for several years, been widely regarded as one of the country's top attack coaches. His teams play fast, exciting rugby that consistently look to score tries."
Assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge will depart after the series, ending a two-year stint after signing a contract ahead of the 2024 Six Nations tournament.
England kick off their campaign against Australia on November 1 before facing Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, with all games to be played at Twickenham Stadium.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
