Shaun Wane: Wigan Warriors appoint England boss to join coaching staff as Lee Briers also joins

England coach Shaun Wane has returned to Wigan in a “leadership” role as part of a reshuffled backroom team of new head coach Matt Peet and assistants Sean O’Loughlin and Lee Briers.

Wane led Wigan to three Super League titles, a Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge triumph before his 2018 exit.

He has had just one game with England because of Covid, a postponed World Cup and a cancelled Australia Test series.

Peet and O’Loughlin are promoted from within, while Briers is a new arrival.

The coaching team has been put together to succeed former Warriors player Adrian Lam, who left after two seasons in charge at the end of Wigan’s 2021 campaign.

“This role presents me with an exciting new challenge,” said Wane, who will continue as England coach in addition to his new job as leadership and management director at the DW Stadium.

“My passion is developing people and culture and being able to do this at my hometown club is the perfect fit,” he told the club website., external

Having left Wigan to take up a role in Scottish rugby union, Wane was handed a return to his native code by the chance to coach his country in February 2020.

Although he has expressed his immense pride at the opportunity to coach internationally, the lure of a role with the club where he grew up and forged his career as a hard-working prop was too inviting to turn down.

“I’m looking forward to working with Matt, Sean and Lee immensely,” he added.

“I’ve known Matt for years – he has great qualities. He is a coach that cares about his players and has an outstanding work ethic. I think he is the perfect fit for Wigan.”

New assistant Briers, meanwhile, left Warrington at the end of the 2021 season, following Steve Price’s final game in charge before moving to Australia.

Peet, like Wane before him, has been nurtured through the ranks and has served practically every department at Wigan before taking on the head coach role from Lam.

“My philosophy on coaching is challenging every individual to a really high level and creating an environment that supports and cares for them,” Peet said.

Assistant coach John Winder will now move on to Wigan’s partner company Competence Development in support of youth and community rugby league programmes.