Richard Wigglesworth will embark on his first British & Irish Lions Tour when he joins Andy Farrell’s coaching staff this summer.

The Englishman was announced as one of Farrell’s Assistant Coaches alongside John Dalziel, Simon Easterby John Fogarty, and Andrew Goodman.

The England attack coach is no stranger to working with Farrell, having been coached as a player by his compatriot, and is looking forward to joining forces on the sideline.

Wigglesworth said: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of the Lions. Proud is probably an understatement to how I am feeling right now.

“I never got to play with Andy, but he was my coach at Saracens and England so I know his calibre and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with him.

“When I got the call I was in the back garden with my five-year-old daughter on dad duties and I had to quieten her down whilst I took it.”

Wigglesworth’s coaching career has previously seen him serve as kicking coach for Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, before he earned his stripes at Leicester Tigers under current England head coach Steve Borthwick.

Wigglesworth stepped up as interim head coach at Tigers before joining Borthwick’s England coaching set up.

As a player, Wigglesworth earned 33 caps for England and his 322 appearances is a record in Premiership Rugby history.

The 41-year-old represented Sale Sharks, Saracens and Leicester Tigers domestically in a 20-year career that ended in 2022.

He won the Premiership seven times as a player, one each with Sharks and Tigers and five times with Saracens, with whom he also won the European Rugby Champions Cup on three occasions.