Martin Gleeson joins England rugby union coaching staff

Drew Darbyshire

Former Great Britain international Martin Gleeson has joined England rugby union team as an attacking coach.

The 41-year-old joins England from Wasps where he has been in charge of the attack since 2019.

Gleeson, who won two Super League titles, starts work with England on Monday.

Jones said: “We are building a coaching team to win the 2023 World Cup. We have five campaigns to go before then so every appointment from here on in is very important.

“We’re starting with Martin as attack coach. He’s a bright young rugby coach with experience at the highest level in league, so he will add significant power to the team.

“He’s done extremely well with Wasps and he will come in and build on the good work that Simon Amor started with us. I look forward to welcoming him to the coaching team.”

Gleeson said: “As a player you always want to represent your country at the highest level and it’s no difference for a coach. This is something I have strived for and coaching England is the pinnacle.

“I’d like to thank everyone at Wasps for my time there, in particular Lee Blackett who took me under his wing after coming from rugby league and has supported me in taking this opportunity.

‘Now I’m looking forward to working with Eddie, the staff and some of the best players in the world, helping them in their development and achieving their ultimate goals.”

Gleeson has made more than 300 appearances during his career for Huddersfield, St Helens, Warrington, Wigan, Hull and Salford.

He won 26 international caps for Great Britain and England in rugby league. Gleeson was also named in the Super League Dream Team in 2002 and 2005.

Gleeson played in three Tri-Nations tournaments for Great Britain and won the Challenge Cup with St Helens in 2004. He also captained Salford later on in his playing career.