England head coach Eddie Jones believes the experience John Mitchell brings to the job will prove invaluable to his management team.
After it was announced on Monday that Mitchell will take up the role of England defence coach until the end of the World Cup, it led to some questioning whether he was the right man for the job.
Mitchell has been unable to stay in a position for longer than a year in recent times and has developed the unwanted reputation of being one of the journeymen of professional rugby coaching.
But Jones has moved to silence the doubters, saying the former All Blacks coach will ‘bring a wealth of experience’ to the role.
“Defence is a key pillar of our game and John is an experienced coach,” Jones told England Rugby’s official website.
“He’s coached the All Blacks, USA Rugby and a number of Super Rugby sides so he will bring a wealth of experience and add to the coaching mix we have here.”
Mitchell added: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with England Rugby and support Eddie Jones as head coach. I will be joining an elite high-performance programme, Test team and coaching group where I will use all my experience and focus to bring the necessary clarity and confidence to the players from a defensive perspective.”