Felix Jones: England recruit ex-Ireland full-back as assistant coach
- Published
Felix Jones joined South Africa as a defence consultant in 2019
Former Ireland full-back Felix Jones will leave South Africa's coaching set-up and join England as an assistant coach after the 2023 World Cup.
Jones joined the Springboks in 2019 as a defence consultant and helped the side win the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
He has continued to be based in the UK, and South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus understands Jones' decision to be closer to his family.
"It's a big loss to lose a coach of Felix's calibre," said Erasmus.
England say Felix, who has won 13 Ireland caps and was part of the 2015 Six Nations title-winning squad, will join head coach Steve Borthwick's team after the World Cup finishes in late October.
Erasmus added: "While we are saddened by the decision, we know how difficult it was for him to make that call and we fully understand the reasons.
"He's been an asset to the Springboks in the last few years and the way he has evolved in his role and willingly took on additional responsibilities to ensure that the team functioned as optimally as possible in his areas of expertise, has been admirable.
"We know Felix will remain fully committed to the Springboks' cause and give everything as we attempt to defend our World Cup title in France, and hopefully we can make it a special and memorable send-off for him later this year."
Jones also played for Leinster and Munster before being forced to retire at the age of 28 because of a neck injury.
He then went straight into the coaching staff at Munster where he worked under Erasmus for the 2016-17 season.
After helping Munster to three consecutive European Champions Cup semi-finals, he helped South Africa win the 2019 World Cup and the British and Irish Lions series two years later.