Gloucester Rugby Unveils New Coaching Team

Gloucester Rugby Unveils New Coaching Team for 2026-27 Season: Joel Tomkins as Defense Coach, Brett Deacon as Forwards Coach

Gloucester Rugby has announced the appointment of Joel Tomkins as the new defense coach and Brett Deacon as the forwards coach for the 2026-27 season. Tomkins, a former England dual-code star, joins after leaving his head coach role at Catalans Dragons. Deacon brings his line-out and breakdown expertise from Leicester Tigers.

This coaching shake-up follows Trevor Woodmans departure to Connacht as scrum coach after twelve years at Gloucester. Dom Waldouck moves up to head of player development, focusing on young talent. The changes are part of a spring restructure with George Skivington as head coach, Chris Boyd as technical director, and Rob Burgess running general operations.

Fans and pundits view this as a fresh start after a challenging 2025-26 campaign, with only two Premiership wins in thirteen matches and an eighth-place finish. Tomkins, aged 39 and brother to Super League legend Sam, has over 200 games for Wigan and Saracens. Deacon returns to Kingsholm, where he played two seasons before coaching stints.

Club CEO Alex Brown praises these hires as a strong vote of confidence in the new setup under Boyd. Deacon expresses excitement about the ambition, while Skivington highlights Woodmans scrum work as a key foundation for the teams development.

With this revamped coaching team, Gloucester aims to turn the tide and pursue a Premiership climb in the upcoming season.

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