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London - England coach Eddie Jones has welcomed the addition of John Mitchell to his management team.
The RFU on Monday confirmed the appointment of Mitchell as England defence coach, bringing an end to the New Zealander's one-year stint in charge of the Bulls.
The 54-year-old, who has been appointed until the end of next year’s Rugby World Cup, fills the vacuum left by Paul Gustard, who took over at Premiership side Harlequins after England's tour of South Africa in June.
“Defence is a key pillar of our game and John is an experienced coach,” Jones told England Rugby’s official website.
"He’s coached the All Blacks, USA Rugby and a number of Super Rugby sides so he will bring a wealth of experience and add to the coaching mix we have here.”
Mitchell added: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with England Rugby and support Eddie Jones as head coach. I will be joining an elite high-performance programme, Test team and coaching group where I will use all my experience and focus to bring the necessary clarity and confidence to the players from a defensive perspective.”
It will be Mitchell's second stint with England - he was their assistant coach between 1997 and 2000 under Clive Woodward for 33 Tests.
Meanwhile, England also confirmed that Scott Wisemantel will continue in his role as attack consultant, having initially taken up the position for their tour to South Africa in June.
The 48-year-old Australian was recently backs coach for French Top 14 club Montpellier working with former South Africa coach Jake White.
Jones added: “We are really pleased to have Scott back for the (November) internationals as we continue to develop our attack. He did a great job with us in South Africa in June.”
As a coach, Wisemantel has been involved in two Rugby World Cups, one with Jones’ Japan in 2015 and during Samoa’s 2011 campaign in New Zealand where he worked as a specialist coach.
The former rugby league and rugby union player has coached at clubs in Japan and France and held several roles with the Wallabies, Waratahs and Australia Under-19s.
