Harrison joined England in 2023
Tom Harrison is a young coach in charge of England’s scrum.
Here are a few things you should know about him.
Read more: England Six Nations squad 2024
Ten things you should know about Tom Harrison
1. Tom Harrison was appointed as England’s scrum coach before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. England reached the semi-finals but lost to South Africa by a single point.
2. Before working with England Harrison coached Leicester Tigers. He was part of Steve Borthwick’s coaching ticket who won the Premiership final against Saracens in 2022.
3. Harrison says it is the work of all the backroom staff that help England tick. He told the England rugby website: “I love waking up and working with these players and working with the staff. From the chef to the security – how the backroom staff here help you and want England to win is amazing. And the players, in their desire to get better, have been brilliant for me.”
4. He was just 32-years-old when appointed to the England coaching staff and commented on his journey to a top job. “I’ve been coaching since 2012,” he said. “It’s a quick route in some aspects because I’m young but if you look at experience, I’ve been coaching for a long time.”
5. Borthwick has spoken highly about his colleague. “Tom is an excellent coach and will have a real impact in an area that will be fundamental to us,” Borthwick said when Harrison was appointed to England. “Leicester’s scrum is renowned across Europe and Tom has played a leading role in that success.”
Scrum coach Tom Harrison discusses his development as a coach and the role rugby played in his early life 🏉
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 1, 2023
6. Harrison’s love for rugby started when he was a child. He would read programmes at the Rec when going to watch Bath rugby play.
7. He had a short playing career which peaked with a move to second-tier French side Auch.
8. Harrison speaks passionately about scrums and has broken down why they are a crucial part of rugby. He said via the Daily Mail: “It’s about understanding that the scrum is no longer a restart of the game. It’s a pressure builder, whether you build pressure by striking off it with fast ball so you can attack, or through winning a penalty.
“The other thing is, it’s a momentum swinger. If you win a turnover at the scrum, you see the backs celebrating. You have the ball, you have changed the momentum of the game.
“The final part in the scrum is a fatigue generator. If you can keep scrummaging long and get the lactic acid building up in your legs, then players find it hard to run.”
9. Harrison is dyslexic.
10. It was confirmed Harrison would stay on as England scrum coach even after the reshuffle in backroom staff in 2024.
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