WORCESTER Warriors have appointed former England and Wasps forward Joe Launchbury as the club’s new head of academy.
The 35-year-old recently announced his retirement from the sport following a four-year spell with Harlequins.
Launchbury earned 70 caps for England in a distinguished international career which saw him win three Six Nations titles and feature at two World Cups.
Launchbury said: “It’s a really exciting time for me and for the club.
“I’m really honoured to be here at the start of the journey for the academy. It’s a club with a huge amount of history, especially in the academy area.
“Working with the next generation, working with these younger players definitely excites me, and the opportunity to come here to Worcester was something I didn’t want to turn down.”
Warriors head coach, Matt Everard added: “Joe is one of the best leaders I’ve worked with. He has added to every environment he’s been in and embodies high performance.
“With his playing experience combined with his academy coaching experience at Wasps and Harlequins, he is a hugely exciting addition to the club.
“This is a big step forward in nurturing all the local homegrown talent we are blessed with. We are looking forward to working with Joe to bring this to life.”
Worcester CEO, Stephen Vaughan said: “We are delighted to welcome Joe Launchbury as the new Head of the Worcester Warriors Academy.”
“The role attracted a lot of interest; however Joe’s outstanding playing career, leadership qualities, and deep understanding of player development make him the ideal person to help shape the next generation of Warriors talent.”
“We are excited to have Joe join the club and look forward to the impact he will make across talent ID and our player pathway programme.”
Launchbury started his rugby journey with Worthing in National Two South before making the move to Wasps.
He made his Wasps debut in 2011 and went on to make more than 150 appearances for the club in an 11-year spell including several seasons as captain.
After Wasps entered administration, Launchbury enjoyed a brief spell in Japan playing for Toyota Verblitz.
He returned to England with Harlequins in 2023 and made more than 50 appearances for the club before calling time in his playing career at the end of the 2025/26 season.
