Ex-Bristol flanker El-Abd to coach England defence
El-Abd will intially combine his England duties with work as head coach of second-tier French side Oyonnax
- Published
Former Bristol flanker Joe el-Abd has been hired as England's defence coach, replacing Irishman Felix Jones.
El-Abd, 44, will come into the England set-up in time for their autumn campaign, which begins against New Zealand on 2 November, but will initially combine his duties with those as head coach of current club Oyonnax.
Only once the second-tier French side finish their 2024-25 campaign will El-Abd work full-time with England.
"I am excited by the direction in which this England team is headed and where they want to go under Steve Borthwick's leadership," said El-Abd.
"His enthusiasm is infectious, and his vision for this team is clear.
"Defence is a huge part of the game and it's something I'm extremely passionate about."
Jones handed in his resignation in August, only seven months after joining the England set-up from Rugby World Cup-winning South Africa.
The loss of the highly rated Jones came "out of the blue" and was "deeply disappointing", according to Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney.
Jones has a 12-month notice period as part of his contract and is expected to continue as part of the England coaching set-up, working remotely to provide tactical analysis.
El-Abd has a long relationship with Borthwick, with the pair sharing a flat during their days at Bath University in the early 2000s.
While Borthwick progressed to become a mainstay of the Bath pack, El-Abd built his career at Bristol before moving crossing the Channel to play for Toulon and Oyonnax.
As a forwards and defence coach El-Abd helped Oyonnax to the second-tier Pro D2 title in 2013 and Champions Cup qualification two years later.
He filled the same role at Castres for four years - a spell that included a 2018 Top 14 title - before returning to Oyonnax as director of rugby in 2019.
Under his leadership the club were promoted back to the Top 14 in 2023, but suffered an immediate return to Pro D2 last season, winning seven of 26 games.
"Joe's knowledge, passion for the game, and proven experience in developing high-performing teams, will be key to the squad’s ongoing development," said Borthwick.
"Joe embodies the qualities we value in the England rugby team and am I sure he will add to our environment and quickly deliver continued improvements to our game."
Oyonnax president Dougal Bendjaballah had insisted he would not allow El-Abd to leave his current post before next summer and has delivered on his promise.
Oyonnax are currently midtable in Pro D2 after two wins from four games.
El-Abd secured his England role from a three-man shortlist which also included Stade Francais defence coach Paul Gustard and Norman Laker, who oversees the same area for South Africa's Stormers.
England are still searching for a strength and conditioning coach after the departure of Aled Walters to Ireland.
Analysis
BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones:
Since retiring from playing, El-Abd has built an impressive coaching career in France, and Oyonnax’s hard-ball approach to negotiations shows how reluctant they were to let him go.
But nonetheless this is a huge role for a man with no international coaching experience, not to mention the fact he will have to juggle two jobs for the whole of the current campaign.
The man El-Abd is replacing, Felix Jones, is still bound by his notice period following his shock resignation and will be working remotely for the time being, a compromise that is unlikely to either maximise his strengths or be a significant asset to England.
With this background of flux in the coaching team, England and Steve Borthwick need a big autumn to show England fans the team is continuing to move in the right direction.
England coaching staff
Head coach: Steve Borthwick
Attack coach: Richard Wigglesworth
Defence coach: Joe el-Abd
Scrum coach: Tom Harrison
Skills, kicking and mentorship coach: Kevin Sinfield
Fitness coach: Dan Tobin