Exclusive: England U20 boss Alan Dickens set for Leicester Tigers attack role
Current England Under-20 head coach Alan Dickens is set to be named Leicester Tigers attack coach, City A.M. understands.
The former Sale Sharks, Leeds, Saracens and Northampton Saints player will head to Mattioli Woods Welford Road this summer as a key part of new head coach Dan McKellar’s team.
Dickens led England’s U20 side to a disappointing fourth position in the 2023 U20 Six Nations in a campaign which saw the side finish below Ireland, France and Italy.
In his current role, the Merseyside-born coach also takes charge of England’s U18 and U19 sides – the latter play Wales tomorrow.
Dickens key signing for Leicester Tigers
Defending Premiership champions Leicester Tigers have seen huge change in their coaching set-up this season with former head coach and defence coach Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield leaving the East Midlands mid-season to take up roles with England.
Richard Wigglesworth – interim head coach – and the club’s head of physical performance Aled Walters will also join the national team in Twickenham at the end of the domestic season.
The Tigers have recruited former Australia assistant McKellar as head coach and it is understood that Dickens will become a key part of the team from next season.
Dickens has Premiership coaching experience, having been academy manager, assistant coach and interim head coach during his career at Northampton Saints. His head coach role came for the second half of the 2017-18 season after Saints sacked former head coach Jim Mallinder.
He left Northampton to take up the England U20 job in 2019 following the departure of Steve Bates.
He was involved in the England Saxons tour to South Africa in 2016.
It is an exciting time for Leicester Tigers, too, with the side beginning to finalise their recruitment for next season while still staying on course for the top four this year.
The East Midlands club have confirmed the signings of electric duo Josh Bassett and Ollie Hassell-Collins – from Harlequins and London Irish respectively – while bolstering their back-row with the signing of highly-rated flanker Kyle Hatherell from La Rochelle.
Leicester Tigers were approached for comment.