- Australia has hired the former England coach
- Geoff Parling will be the team’s line-out specialist
- Wallabies host Lions in 2025
Australia have signed lineout specialist Geoff Parling in a major coup ahead of the visit of the British and Irish Lions next year.
Parling, 40, had previously worked with England as a set-piece expert and has been based in Australia since joining the Melbourne Rebels in 2018.
He will be familiar with his surroundings at the Wallabies, having worked as an assistant coach under Dave Rennie in 2020.
Parling will have just over two months to get the Australians working to perfection before Wales visit for a two-Test tour this winter, followed by a test against Georgia.
Australia will then compete in the Rugby Championship against South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand before embarking on the autumn tour of Great Britain.
Geoff Parling has joined the Wallabies as the team’s lineout expert
The new coach played in England as a second line and was coach of his country
Parling will face England coach Steve Borthwick, a line-out specialist, on Saturday 9 November at Twickenham in the ultimate test of his coaching experience in this area.
He faced the Aussies on the Lions’ 2013 tour but will be on the other side of the rivalry in 2025, and revealed how the chance to work with internationally acclaimed coach Joe Schmidt convinced him to join the Wallabies.
‘I spoke to Joe a couple of times when he came to the Rebels. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about Joe in the past, so I’m very excited to work with him on the coaching team,” Parling said.
“He is very sensible, constantly sees the game and prepares well.” I think he is good at the basics and understanding the fundamentals well. Once you get them, a little brilliance will come.
“I am quite familiar with most of the players who will come in regularly training or training against them. I feel that the small differences we have in the Super Rugby teams can come together and align well, we can have great strength as a forward group in the Wallabies .
Schmidt said: ‘Geoff has spent over 20 years playing and training in professional football. “His understanding of his line-out, coupled with his knowledge of Super Rugby and his previous experience with the Wallabies will add value to our coaching group.”