Former Tigers And England Lock Geoff Parling To Replace Michael Cheika As Leicester Head Coach 5w1n3d

Former Leicester Tigers and England lock Geoff Parling has been appointed head coach by the Premiership club ahead of next season.

The 2013 British and Irish Lions forward, 41, will replace ex-Australia coach Michael Cheika, who is leaving Welford Road after just one season in charge.

In his playing days, Parling was twice a Premiership winner with Leicester.

He currently works as an assistant coach for Australia, and will link up with Leicester after this summer’s Lions tour down under.

In a statement on the club’s website, Parling said: “I was lucky enough to have some incredible moments in the Leicester Tigers jersey, made through hard work by good people, and so I am extremely proud to be coming back to lead the club.

“There are not many opportunities that would make myself and my family think about leaving Australia, the place we’ve called home for the past seven years, but coming back to Leicester Tigers is one that we are really looking forward to.”

Geoff Parling Returns To Leicester 1cv30

It will be a warm homecoming for Parling, who played around 100 times for Leicester after ing from Newcastle in 2009.

While at the Tigers, he was capped 29 times by England, and toured with the Lions in 2013.

On that tour, he started the final two tests and played a decisive role in the Lions winning the series against Australia.

He retired in 2018 after time with Exeter Chiefs and the Melbourne Rebels, either side of a spell in Japan.

Since 2020, he has worked with the Wallabies, and his coaching stock has risen sharply.

Leicester chairman Tom Scott said: “He is a high calibre coach, strong leader, and understands this club

“He achieved success here as a player and we believe he will as a coach.”

“Geoff has made great strides in his coaching career over the past eight years and we are excited that we will be a part of his next chapter, one that will last long into the future, at Leicester Tigers.”

Australia Losing Another Senior Coach 4fx5l

While a welcome move for Leicester fans, Parling departure from the Wallabies makes him the second senior coach to depart the Australian setup this summer.

Head coach and former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt also announced he would be leaving after the Lions tour this summer, with the New Zealander citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Parling thanked Schmidt and Australian rugby and wished them well moving forward.

“I have felt incredibly privileged to work with a number of great people in my time here and would especially like to thank Joe [Schmidt] for the environment he has created at the Wallabies,” he said.

“My family and I originally came to Australia for seven months and will now be leaving after seven years proud to call ourselves Australian citizens, and lucky to have lived in such a great community. I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard with our great staff and leaving Australia on a positive note.”