Gloucester Rugby has confirmed the appointment of Brett Deacon and Joel Tomkins to its coaching staff for the 2026-27 season, marking a significant shift in the club’s leadership structure ahead of the Gallagher Premiership campaign.
The additions follow the departure of assistant coach Trevor Woodman, who is set to join Connacht as their scrum coach. Deacon, currently a coach at Leicester Tigers, will take on the role of forwards coach at Gloucester, while Tomkins, the former head coach of Catalans Dragons in the Super League, will serve as the club’s defence coach.
Both appointments were announced by Gloucester in April 2026 as part of a broader restructuring of the coaching team under technical director Chris Boyd. The club stated that the changes aim to bring clarity and focus to its playing and development pathways as it looks to improve on a challenging 2025-26 season.
Gloucester endured a difficult 2025-26 campaign, winning just two of their first 13 Premiership matches and sitting eighth in the table. Their most recent loss came against Bristol, a 53-12 defeat that highlighted ongoing struggles in both attack and defence.
Deacon returns to Gloucester in a familiar role
Brett Deacon’s move to Gloucester represents a return to the club where he played professionally between 2008 and 2012. After spending nearly a decade on the senior coaching staff at Leicester Tigers, Deacon will now transition to Kingsholm as forwards coach.
During his playing career, Deacon made over 100 appearances for Gloucester as a lock and back-row forward before moving to Leicester in 2012 to complete his playing days. His coaching tenure at Welford Road included work with the Tigers’ forwards unit and involvement in their Premiership and European Cup campaigns.
Gloucester chief executive Alex Brown described Deacon’s appointment as a “real endorsement” of the club’s direction under its new leadership structure. “The arrivals of both Brett and Joel are a real endorsement of the direction we’re heading in and of the coaching group that’s been assembled under Chris Boyd’s leadership,” Brown said in the club’s official statement.
Tomkins brings dual-code experience to defence role
Joel Tomkins joins Gloucester after stepping down as head coach of Catalans Dragons, a role he held during the 2025 Super League season. Prior to that, Tomkins had a three-year stint with Saracens in the Premiership between 2011 and 2014, where he won two league titles and featured in the 2011 Heineken Cup final.
A dual-code international, Tomkins earned three Test caps for England in rugby union during his time with Saracens in 2013. He also represented Great Britain and England in rugby league, playing for the Wigan Warriors and making appearances in Super League Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals.
At Gloucester, Tomkins will take over defence coaching responsibilities from Dom Waldouck, who is being promoted to a newly created role as head of player development. This position will focus on guiding young players from the academy into the first-team environment, a key part of Gloucester’s long-term strategy.
Wider restructure reshapes Gloucester’s backroom staff
The appointments of Deacon and Tomkins are part of a comprehensive overhaul of Gloucester’s coaching and leadership team undertaken earlier in 2026. As part of the changes, George Skivington returned to a head coaching role after previously serving in a director of rugby capacity, while Chris Boyd was appointed technical director and Rob Burgess named general manager.
The club said the restructure was designed to create clearer lines of responsibility and improve coordination between coaching, recruitment, and player development. Dom Waldouck’s move to head of player development reflects an increased emphasis on integrating academy talent, with the club aiming to reduce reliance on external signings.
Gloucester has not yet confirmed the full composition of its 2026-27 coaching staff beyond these announcements. Pre-season training is expected to begin in July 2026, with the Gallagher Premiership season set to commence in September.
As the club prepares for the upcoming campaign, supporters will be watching closely to see how the new coaching combinations impact performance on the field. Updates on fixtures, squad news, and further staff developments will be released through Gloucester’s official channels in the coming months.
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