El-Abd to Quit England After World Cup for Clermont Role
England's coaching staff faces another reshuffle as Joe El-Abd will depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup to join Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne, where he is set to work alongside Christophe Urios before taking charge of the club.
England are set for yet another change in the backroom after forwards and contact-skills coach Joe El-Abd agreed to leave his role following next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia, with the 46-year-old heading back to France to join Clermont Auvergne.
El-Abd, who arrived in Steve Borthwick's set-up in 2024 as the replacement for Felix Jones, will work alongside current Clermont head coach Christophe Urios during the 2027-28 season before succeeding him, with Urios moving upstairs into a sporting director role. The pair know each other well, having worked together at Castres between 2015 and 2019, where El-Abd served as forwards coach under Urios.
The Brighton-born former Bristol back-rower built his coaching reputation in France, leading Oyonnax to the Pro D2 title in 2023 before taking the England job. His brief at Twickenham has shifted over time: he began as defence coach, overseeing a blitz system inherited from Jones, before Richard Wigglesworth took over the defence portfolio and El-Abd moved to focus on contact skills and the forwards.
El-Abd said he remained fully committed to England's World Cup ambitions, insisting his focus between now and the tournament would not change. His exit adds to a remarkable churn of Borthwick's assistants in recent years, which has also seen Kevin Sinfield, Aled Walters and Felix Jones move on.