Source: Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Harlequins)

Amy Turner earns Rugby World Cup 2021 coaching internship

  • +1

Amy Turner will link up with the Red Roses having been selected for World Rugby’s coaching internship programme.

The former England scrum half will be fully embedded into Simon Middleton’s England Senior Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 national coaching team for the next 12 months, where she will gain meaningful professional development opportunities and experience leading up to and during the tournament.

Having represented Wasps, Richmond and Harlequins at club level, seven-time Grand Slam winner Turner earned 59 international caps and was a member of England’s 2006 and 2010 World Cup squads.

World Rugby launched the transformational placement programme which provides talent identified female coaches with a unique 12-month placement opportunity with a team competing at the showcase women’s 15s event in New Zealand.

The programme aims to address the lack of women’s coaches at high-performance level across men’s and women’s rugby and is funded as part of the International Olympic Committee’s international development grant awarded to World Rugby.

Turner, who retired from playing in May 2018 and was England Women’s U20 head coach before the early curtailment of the 2019/20 season, will continue working in the pathway alongside her role with the seniors.

Turner said: “I’m absolutely thrilled and really grateful for this opportunity.

“There are so many talented coaches in the domestic leagues and to be given this opportunity, knowing those coaches are out there, I was completely taken back, very surprised and grateful.

“I’m looking forward to getting started. There will be so many different facets that I’ll be able to impact and learn from.

“I’m excited to go on a year-long journey of helping to prepare a team for a World Cup campaign.

“Being a part of that is pretty special. I’ve been there as a player and to be part of the coaching staff is something completely new.

“World Rugby recognising that we need to be exposing coaches to this experience is important and will hopefully open doors in the future for female coaches into high performance jobs across the board.

“I can’t wait to get started.”

RFU head of women’s performance, Nicky Ponsford said: “We’re delighted that Amy will be linking up with our senior team coaching set-up for the build-up to and during next year’s World Cup.

“We were seeking a young, aspiring coach, in the early stage of their career and Amy was the outstanding candidate.

“Amy is a dedicated, talented young coach with an infectious personality, enthusiasm and willingness to develop.

“We’re really looking forward to her joining the environment.”