Former England number eight Easter to join Warriors as Diamond adds to coaching staff - The Malvern Observer

Former England number eight Easter to join Warriors as Diamond adds to coaching staff

Malvern Editorial 6th May, 2022   0

WARRIORS have appointed former England number eight Nick Easter as the club’s new defence and forwards coach.

Easter will arrive at Sixways ahead of the 2022/23 from Newcastle Falcons where he is defence coach. He will take over the defence coach role from Jonny Bell, who is re-joining Ulster at the end of the current season, and take on the forwards coach duties previously held by Jonathan Thomas, who left Warriors in January.

Before that Easter had two seasons in Super Rugby as Defence and Forwards Coach with Durban-based Sharks and two seasons as Defence Coach of Harlequins, the club he represented a record 281 times.

Easter won 54 caps between 2007 and 2015 and played in three Rugby World Cups and will bring outstanding playing and coaching experience at the top level to his new role at Sixways.




“Nick will be a huge addition to our management team ,” said Steve Diamond, Warriors Lead Rugby Consultant.

“He has vast playing experience at the highest level and he has served an excellent coaching apprenticeship at Harlequins, Sharks and Newcastle.


“I have been very impressed with his mentality of how he wants us to play moving forward.

“He is very ambitious and his forthright approach will complement our coaching team.”

Easter, 43, has played and coached against sides coached by Diamond for almost 20 years and is now looking forward to working with him for the first time.

“I have always appreciated and respected what Dimes has done in the game particularly at Sale and how he has built that club up a couple of times,” he said.

“They were struggling, he went back there when they probably didn’t have the resources that they have now.

“He can get the best out of a group of players and individuals in terms of managing potential. He understands what it takes to win games of rugby, particularly in the Premiership.

“I’ve enjoyed Dimes’s company and, from our discussions in the last few weeks,  we both seem very aligned in how we see the game.

“The opportunity at Worcester is exciting as well. It’s a fresh start under Dimes and it’s an excellent opportunity. It’s a club with good investment, ambitious owners and one that needs to be put on the map.”

Easter began his professional playing career with Orrell in what is now the Championship and played in a match at Edge Hall Road in January 2004 that that effectively sealed Warriors’ promotion to the Premiership for the first time.

“I remember playing against Worcester with Orrell when they got promoted ahead of us in 2004. You knew what they stood for then with that Tony Windo side,” Easter said.

“Since then stars have come and gone and it’s never quite clicked. We have now got a chance to imprint an identity on the club, to build from the bottom up, build something sustainable and something that lasts.

“What I really like is the squad that Dimes is putting together and the guys who are staying.

“There’s a great backline there, he’s bringing in some talented, hard-nosed experienced forwards which you need so that the backs get the quality of ball they need.

“If we can amalgamate them quickly, get a clear plan in place, practise it in pre-season and get buy-in from the players then hopefully we should see performances improve.”

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