Shaun Wane: Wigan Warriors appoint England boss to head up coaching staff as Lee Briers also joins

Shaun Wane won everything there is to win as Wigan coach before leaving in 2018

England coach Shaun Wane has returned to Wigan to head a reshuffled backroom team of new head coach Matty Peet and assistants Sean O'Loughlin and Lee Briers.

He has had just one game with England because of Covid, a postponed World Cup and a cancelled Australia Test series.

Peet and O'Loughlin are promoted from within, while Briers is a new arrival.

"This role presents me with an exciting new challenge," said Wane, who has been appointed as leadership and management director at the DW Stadium.

"My passion is developing people and culture and being able to do this at my hometown club is the perfect fit," he told the club website.

"I'm looking forward to working with Matt, Sean and Lee immensely. I've known Matt for years - he has great qualities. He is a coach that cares about his players and has an outstanding work ethic. I think he is the perfect fit for Wigan."

Briers left Warrington at the end of the 2021 season, following Steve Price's final game in charge before moving to Australia.

Assistant coach John Winder will now move on to Wigan's partner company Competence Development in support of youth and community rugby league programmes.

Having left Wigan to take up a role in Scottish rugby union, Wane was handed a return to his native code by the chance to coach his country in February 2020.

Although he has expressed his immense pride at the opportunity to coach internationally, the lure of a day-to-day role, with the club where he grew up and forged his career as a hard-working prop, was too inviting to turn down.

More to follow.