Coaching duo join Gloucester

Gloucester have announced the appointment of World Cup-winning coach Nick Walshe as their backs and attack specialist.

And in another high-profile appointment, the Aviva Premiership club also confirmed Australian John Muggleton's appointment as defence coach.

Walshe masterminded England Under-20s' triumphs in the last two Junior World Championships, while Muggleton was the Australia national team's defence coach for a 10-year period that included the 1999 World Cup triumph.

Former scrum-half Walshe, 39, was capped by England and also played for Harlequins, Saracens, Sale, Bath and Bedford.

"I am delighted that John and Nick are joining us as we prepare for the forthcoming season, and we are very much looking forward to them starting in their posts shortly," Gloucester chief executive Stephen Vaughan said.

"I make no apology for the fact that we've taken our time with these appointments, but we wanted to make sure that we got absolutely the right individuals in place, and that can take time.

"John possesses a wealth of defensive know-how. He's got a ton of experience at the very highest level, and we are delighted to have someone of his calibre on board.

"And Nick Walshe is one of the brightest young coaching talents around.

"What he has achieved with the England Under-20s in the past couple of years has been magnificent. A number of our players have already worked with him over the past few seasons, of course, as part of that set-up.

"They have been playing a great brand of rugby, and we're delighted that he will now be working with our back-line, which has the potential to be among the very best in the game.

"There are obviously still other appointments to be made, but we are making real progress and hope to be able to make some further announcements soon.

"I am delighted with how things are shaping up."

Gloucester announced earlier this month the appointment of former Ireland fly-half David Humphreys as their new rugby director.